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GETHSEMAN!  ABBEY, 
6ETHSEMANI.  P.O.  KY. 


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ALETHAURION. 


(SHORT  PAPERS  FOR  THE  PEOPLE.) 


BY 

THOMAS  C.  MOORE, 

A.  M.  T.  S.  D. 


Sed  quo  sis,  Africane,  alacrior  ad  tutandam  Rempublicam,  sic  habeto:  omnibus  qui 
patriam  (ecclesiam)  conservarint.adiuverint,  auxerint,  certum  esse  in  coelo  definitum 
locum  ubi  beati  aevo  sempiterno  fruantur.  Nihil  est  enim  illi  principi  Deo,  qui  om- 
nem  hunc  mundura  regit,  quod  quidem  in  terris  fiat,  acceptius  quam  concilia  coetus- 
que  hominum  iure  sociati,  quae  civitates  appellantur :  harum  rectores  et  conservatores 
hinc  profecti  hue  revertuntur.    Cicero.  De  rep.  iv.  13. 


GETHSEMANI  ABBEY, 
GETHSEMANI,  P  0.  KY. 


LEAVENWORTH,  KAN.: 

KeTCHESON  &  HUBBELL,  PRINTERS  AND  BINDERS. 
1883. 


fc<?q  2Lt.'> 


TO  THE  MEMORY  OF 

Rt.  Rev.  GEORGE  A.  CARRELL,  D.  D., 

First  Bishop  of  Covington, 

This  work  is  affectionately  dedicated  by 

THE  AUTHOR. 


LOAN  STACK 


Copyrighted  1882 
By   THOMAS   C.   MOORE. 


All  rights  reserved. 


lo  9 :? 


^TS.Zf^'M'^"^ 


CONTENTS 


Chapter.  Page. 

I.  The  Church < . . . .  5 

II.  The  Church  more  ancient  than  the  New  Testament 10 

III.  The  Constitution  of  the  Church 16 

IV.  The  body  of  the  Church 22 

V.  The  body  of  the  Church,  how  organized 28 

VI.  The  Hierarchy 33 

VII.  The  Seven  Deacons 39 

VIII.  How  to  find  the  true  Church 43 

IX.  Catholic  unity— Sectarian  divisions 47 

X.  All  Catholics  believe  alike 51 

XI.  The  true  Church  is  holy .')5 

XII.  Holiness  a  mark  of  the  true  Church 59 

XIII.  Holiness  a  mark  of  the  true  Church 64 

XIV.  Catholicity  a  mark  of  the  true  Church 69 

XV.  Catholicity  a  mark  of  the  true  Church 73 

XVI.  About  names " 78 

XVII.  About  names 82 

XVin.  About  names , 87 

XIX.  About  names 02 

XX.  About  names 96 

XXI.  Apostolicity 100 

XXII,  Simon  Magus 103 

XXni.  The  rise  and  fall  of  Simon  Magus 107 

XXIV.  The  errors  of  Simon  Magus 112 

XXV.  The  followers  of  Simon  Magus 117 

XXVI.  Basilides 121 

XXVII.  Cerinthus 127 

XXVIII.  The  Millennium 132 

XXIX.  The  Millennium .♦ 136 

XXX.  Ebion  and  Necholaus HO- 

XXXI.  The  Virgin  Mary 144 

XXXII.  Simon  Peter 148- 

XXXIII.  The  public  life  of  St.  Peter 152 

XXXIV.  The  public  life  of  St.  Peter 156 

XXXV.  The  trial 160 

XXXVI.  Ananias  and  Saphira 164 

XXXVII.  Tabitha 168 

XXXVIII.  Cornelius ; .172 

XXXIX.  Herod *  176 

XL.  The  triumphal  entrj'  of  the  Word  into  Babylon 180 

XLI.  The  Scrimmage 183 

XLII.  Fossils 187 

XLIII.  Liberius 190 


05C1 


CONTENTS. 


Chapter 

XLIV. 

XLV. 

XLVI. 

XLVII. 

XLVIII. 

XLIX. 

L. 

LI. 

LII. 

LIII. 

LIV. 

LV. 

LVI. 

LVII. 

LVIII. 

LIX. 

LX. 

LXI. 

LXII. 

LXIII. 

LXIV. 

LXV. 

LXVI. 

LXVII. 

LXVIII. 

LXIX. 

LXX. 

LXXI. 

LXXII. 

LXXIII. 

LXXIV. 

LXXV. 

LXXVI. 

LXXVII. 

LXXVIII. 

LXXIX. 

LXXX. 

LXXXI. 

LXXXII. 

LXXXIII. 

LXXXIV. 

LXXXV. 

LXXXVI. 

LXXXVII. 

LXXXVIII. 

LXXXIX. 

XC. 

XCI. 

XCII. 

XCIII. 

XCIV. 

.      XCV. 

XCVI. 

XCVII. 


Babylon 

Babylon  the  mystic. 

Hugo  de  Groot 

Clement 

Ignatius 

Let  loose  the  lions. . 
Papias '•..•••'' 


Caius 

Bacchus 

Dionysius.. 

Ireneus 

Footprints  . 

Tracks 

Landmarks 
Saul 


Tnxr 


St.  Paul 

Flight  in  a  basket 

The  Wanderer : 

Saul's  ordination 

Concerning  magic 

Necromancy 

Charms 

Enchantments ; 

Miracles * 

Miracles 

Miracles 

Miracles 

Miracles 

Apparitions 

Theophany 

The  Angels 

The  Devil 

Concerning  Hell 

Concerning  Hell *. 

Hell  —  its  location 

The  punishment  of  the  damned 

Dante's  poetical  Hell ; 

Dante's  poetical  Hell 

Hell's  torments  are  eternal 

Answers  to  some  of  the  objections  against  the  eternity  of  punish- 
ment  

Where  unbaptized  infants  go  after  death 

Concerning  Purgatory 

The  resurrection  of  the  body 

The  character  and  qualities  of  the  body  after  having  arisen  from 
the  dead 

Divination,  or  Fortune  telling 

Oracles 

On  the  subject  of  dreams " 

Concerning  those  that  are  possessed  or  beseiged  by  the  Devil 

Animal  magnetism 

Paul  and  the  Island  of  Cyprus 

St.  Paul  preaches  at  Iconium  and  Derbe.. 

The  Council  of  Jerusalem 

Bird's  eye  view  of  the  General  Councils 

Bird's  eye  view  of  'the  General  Councils 


Pagk. 
19S 
196 
200 
201 
208 
212 
216 
220 
224 
22.S 
232 
236 
240 
243 
246 
24ii 
252 
256 
259 
26:5 
266 
270 
275 
278 
282 
286 
290 
294 


310 
316 
320 
325 
329 
334 
338 
84;^ 

847 
352 
356 
362 


372 
376 
380 


401 
405 
409 
413 


CONTENTS. 


HI 


Chapter 
XCVIII. 
XCIX. 
C. 

CI. 
CII. 

cm. 

CIV. 

cv. 
.  cvi. 

CVII. 
CVIII. 

cix. 
ex. 

CXI. 

CXII. 

CXIII. 
CXIV. 

cxv. 

CXVI. 

CXVII. 

CXVIII. 

CXIX. 

cxx. 

CXXI. 
CXXII. 
CXXIII. 
CXXIV. 

cxxv. 

CXXVI. 

CXXVII. 

CXXVIII. 

CXXIX. 


Page. 

Bird's  eye  view  of  the  General  Councils 419 

Bird's  eye  view  of  the  General  Councils 422 

St.  Paul  visits  the  Churches  of  Syria  and  Cilieia— he  carries  the 

good  tidings  into  Macedonia 420 

St.  Paul  at  Thessalonica  and  Berea 430 

St.  Paul  at  Athens 434 

St.  Paul  at  Corinth 438 

St.  Paul  at  Ephesus 443 

Diana  of  the  Ephesians 447 

Societies 451 

St.  Paul  leaves  Ephesus— the  Church  of  the  twelve  farmers 456 

More  about  the  Church  of  the  twelve  farmers 460 

Each  Apostle  preached  a  greater  number  of  specific  truths  than  he 

committed  to  writing 464 

The  Written  Word  alone  is  not  a  sufflcient  guide  to  lead  one  to 

Heaven 467 

Whether  any  one  who  has  read  the  Bible  and  thinks  he  under- 
stands it,  can  lawfully  profess  himself  a  minister  of  Christ  and 

a  dispenser  of  the  mysteries  of  God 437 

Some  speculations  regarding  the  extent  to  which  a  layman  is  a 

minister  of  Christ,  and  a  dispenser  of  the  mysteries  of  God 478 

St.  Paul  at  Jerusalem  for  the  last  time 482 

Secret  Societies  and  kindred  subjects 486 

St.  Paul  at  Ccesarea 491 

St.  Paul  enters  Rome  — his  death 494 

Synoptical  view-  of  the  lives  of  the  Apostles 498 

The  prerogatives  of  the  Church 503 

Indefectibility  of  the  Church 508 

A  changeable  element  in  the  Church 512 

A  changeable  element  in  the  Church 517 

Some  changes  in  the  mode  of  public  worship 522 

The  use  of  Latin  in  the  public  worship 527 

The  use  of  sacred  vestments  in  the  public  worshi]) 531 

Description  of  a  Camp  Meeting 535 

The  infallibility  of  the  Church 540 

Some  objections  proposed  and  answered 54') 

The  Church  is  the  guardian  of  revelation 551 

The  infallibility  of  the  Pope 560 


PREFACE. 


In  presenting  this  volume  to  the  public,  it  may  be  proper  to  state 
the  cause  to  which  it  mainly  owes  an  existence.  For  half  a  dozen, 
or  more,  of  the  earlier  years  of  my  life,  I  happened  to  live  in  a  com- 
munity that  was  almost  exclusively  non-Catholic.  And,  as  religion 
seemed  to  be  a  favorite  topic  for  discussion,  at  all  times,  I  had  two 
ways  open  before  me.  One,  to  remain  silent,  whenever  a  question 
of  the  kind  was  introduced ;  the  other,  to  defend,  to  the  best  of  my 
ability,  that  system  of  belief  with  which  I  felt  myself  identified.  I 
usually  chose  the  latter ;  for  it  seemed  to  me  the  better  course.  But, 
while  searching  for  suitable  arms,  with  which  to  fight  those  intellect- 
ual, and,  indeed,  almost  invariably,  friendly  battles,  I  experienced 
some  difficulty.  I  read  works  explanatory  of  the  faith,  and  some 
that  were  controversial.  Yet,  I  was  not  entirely  satisfied  with  either, 
for  the  authors  seemed  to  have  addressed  themselves  to  theologians, 
rather  than  to  such  as  myself.  The  consequence  was  that,  after 
having  picked  and  shoveled  my  way  through  not  a  few  of  such  books, 
I  felt  weary  of  the  subject;  I  was  like  David  in  Saul's  armor, 
incapable  of  quick  action,  and,  indeed,  scarcely  able  to  move  under 
such  a  weight  of  erudition.  It  then  occurred  to  me  that,  if  I  could 
secure  some  lighter  and  sharper  weapons,  it  would  be  well.  I  wished 
for  a  book  that  would  interest,  to  such  a  degree  that  it  could  be  read 
without  a  strain  on  the  mind ;  one  whose  narrative  and  arguments 
would  be  strong,  but  not  stilted;  trenchant,  but  not  murderous; 
witty,  but  not  uncharitable.  With  this  object  in  view,  I  began,  in 
the  year  1873,  to  publish,  through  the  columns  of  the  Catlwlic  Advo- 
cate^ the  series  of  essays  included  in  this  volume.     But  as  I  advanced, 


iv  Preface. 

I  found  my  task  not  so  easy  as  I  had  imagined.  What  to  select, 
and  what  to  leave  behind,  in  moth-eaten  tomes,  was  not  always  clear 
to  my  mind.  The  style  of  writing  was  also  a  source  of  an^fiety.  It 
occurred  to  me  that  some  might  find  fault  with  the  attempt  to  clothe 
grave  subjects  in  a  light  and  airy  dress.  And,  indeed,  to  do  so,  and 
say  nothing  offensive  to  pious  ears,  was  one  of  the  main  barriers  I 
had  to  surmount.  But,  with  all  this,  thirough  the  encouragement  of 
some  friends,  on  whose  judgment  and  literary  taste  I  placed  a  high 
estimate,  I  persevered.  And  now,  in  January,  1883,  ten  years  after 
the  first  was  written,  these  essays  are  given  into  the  hands  of  the 
publishers,  to  be  put  into  book  form,  and  sent  forth  into  an  arena, 
where  only  what  is  fit  can  have  the  least  hope  to  survive. 

THOS.  C.  MOORE. 


GETHSEMAN!  ABBEY, 

"GETHSEtViANK  P'O.  KY. 


CHAPTER  I. 


THE    CHURCH. 

The  word  church  is  said  to  be  a  compound  of  the  Greek, 
kurios,  a  lord,  and  oikos,  a  house.  By  uniting  these,  and 
making  the  changes  required  by  the  hiws  of  euphony,  we 
get  kuriakon.  The  Scotchman  took  hold  of  this,  and,  ndt 
being  able  to  surmount  the  difficulty  of  pronunciation, 
snapped  it  off  at  "kirk."  The  Englishman  tried  the  same 
feat,  and,  in  the  attempt  to  get  over,  let  his  tongue  drop, 
and  flattened  the  word  into  "church."  Hence,  if  we  look 
to  its  derivation,  the  expression  means  the  House  of  God  ; 
any  of  those  material  edifices  in  which  the  faithful  are 
accustomed  to  meet,  in  order  to  pray,  and  assist  at  the 
great  sacrifice  of  the  new  law.  The  word,  however,  has 
another  signification,  and  it  is  to  this  we  desire  to  draw 
attention.  It  means  the  society,  established  on  earth  by 
Christ,  to  preserve  and  propagate  those  doctrines  He 
wishes  men  to  know  and  believe. 

Now,  there  are  persons  Avho  deny  that  Christ  founded 
any  organized  society.  With  these,  to  be  a  Christian, 
means  nothing  more  than  to  believe  in  Christ,  read  the 
Bible,  and  practice  its* teachings.  To  belong  to  any  visible 
organization,  they  say,  is  a  matter  of  indifference.  This 
idea,  or  something  akin  to  it,  appears  to  be  afloat  in  the 
minds  of  most  of  the  non-Catholics  of  this  country.  Even 
amonor  those  who  belong  to  the  various  sectarian  conven- 
tides,  it  will  be  found  that  the  majority  acknowledge  a  dis- 


6  ALETHAURION. 

tinction  between  the  teaching  of  their  church  and  Christi- 
anity. They  will  sometimes  say,  we  believe  ours  is  the  best 
way,  but  we  do  not  deny,  we  freely  admit,  that  persons 
belonging  to  other  churches  may  also  be  saved.  It  requires 
not  deny,  w^e  freely  admit  that  persons  belonging  to 
other  churches  may  also  be  saved.  It  requires  only  a  little 
reflection  to  see  that  such  modes  of  thought  and  expression 
come  from  the  idea  alluded  to  that  all  Churches  are  of  men, 
and  none  co-extensive  w^ith  Christianity.  The  idea  seems  to 
be  that  a  man  may  be  a  first-rate  Christian  gentleman  and 
not  belong  to  any  Church.  To  illustrate  the  conception  that 
many  Protestants  have  of  the  Church,  we  may  use  the  fol- 
lowing example  :  There  is  attached  to  a  certain  parish  Church 
in  Blank  City  a  benevolent  society,  whose  name  we  will  not 
mention.  John  Smith,  a  good  and  consistent  Catholic  of 
the  same  parish,  is  asked  to  join.  He  persistently  refuses 
to  do  so,  on  the  ground  that  it  is  enough  for  him  to  obey  the 
general  laws  of  the  Church,  and  that  he  can,  on  his  own 
hook,  as  the  saying  goes,  perform  acts  of  benevolence,  with- 
out being  a  member.  The  idea  that  Smith  has  of  the  be- 
nevolent society,  is  that  held  by  most  Protestants  of  Church 
organizations,  i.  e.,  it  may  be  good  to  belong  to  one,  but 
not  at  all  essential  to  man's  happiness  either  here  or  here- 
after. Hence  the  facility  with  which  they  transfer  them- 
selves from  one  Church  to  another.  And  in  this  they  are 
consistent,  for,  on  the  principle  that  no  Church  is  co-exten- 
sive with  Christianity,  and  none  essential,  the  right  of 
choosing  looks  rational ;  and  change  from  one  to  another 
docs  not  differ  from  the  action  of  a  man  at  a  menagerie,  who, 
instead  of  gazing  the  whole  day  at  the  lion  or  grizzly,  takes 
a  peep  at  ail — including  the  baboon. 

Let  us  now  lay  down  one  or  two  Catholic  principles,  and 
meditate  briefly  on  them,  *  if  we  would  soar  above  such 
vagaries. 


ALETHAURION.  7 

Firsts  It  is  a  truth  that  Christ  established  here,  on  earth, 
a  Church  as  a  regularly  organized  society.  This  society  is,  so 
to  speak,  a  continuation  of  the  incarnation,  and  does  now 
what  the  Saviour  did  while  he  was  among  men,  i.  e. teach  the 
way  of  salvation. 

Second,  It  is  a  principle  that  the  teaching  of  the  Church 
is  co-extensive  with  that  of  Christ  ;  all  He  taught,  she  teach- 
es, where  He  was  silent,  she  is. 

Let  us  see  whether  these  assumptions  correspond  with 
facts. 

Did  Christ  establish  a  Church?  That  He  did  so,  may  be 
shown  in  two  ways  : 

First.  Because  a  society  exists  at  the  present  day,  the 
members  of  which  claim  Him  as  its  founder.  It  will  be 
readily  understood  that  allusion  is  made  to  the  Catholic 
Church,  alongside  of  which,  every  other  sinks  into  insignifi- 
cance. It  forms  a  network  that  surrounds  the  globe  ;  its 
members  are  found  in  every  zone  ;  and  its  influence  extends 
from  pole  to  pole.  Nor  is  it  less  worthy  our  consideration 
from  the  magnitude  of  its  proportions  than  from  its  perfect 
organization.  It  has  but  one  visible  head  on  earth  to  whose 
authority  all  submit.  Its  superior  officers  are  found  in  every 
land.  Its  subaltern,  in  almost  every  hamlet  in  the  civilized 
world.  Its  members  are  counted  by  millions  of  the  most 
enlightened  and  refined  of  the  human  race. 

So  wonderful  is  this  great  organization  that,  after  meditat- 
ing on  its  vast  proportions  and  variety  of  action,  athought- 
ful  infidel  once  exclaimed  :  **If  there  is  such  a  beini]^  as  the 
devil  his  ingenuity  must  have  been  taxed  to  the  utmost 
when  he  planned  the  Catholic  Church." 

We,  who  are  blessftd  with  the  light  of  faith,  see  in  all 
this  the  finger  and  wisdom  of  God  and  we  say  that  such  or- 
der could  never  have  come  from  the  father  of  lies.  Such, 
then,  is  the  fact,  patent  to  the  eyes  of  all.  We  have  in  the 
world  a  society,  wonderful  as  a  whole,  equally  no  in  all  its 
parts. 


8  ALETHAURION. 

Now  there  is  no  effect  without  a  cause.  When  did  this 
society  begin,  and  who  was  the  prime  mover?  It  certainly 
came  not  into  existence  to-day  nor  yesterday.  Its  influence 
has  been  felt  and  acknowledged  in  the  world  for  eighteen 
centuries,  and  if  we  wish  to  lay  hand  on  its  founder  we  will 
search  the  pages  of  history  in  vain  till  we  go  back  to  Jesus 
of  Nazareth. 

The  same  conclusion  at  which  we  arrive,  from  a  consider- 
ation of  the  Church  as  it  stands  at  present,  we  will  also  be 
forced  to  admit,  after  having  examined  the  earliest  records 
of  the  rise  and  progress  of  Christianity.  If  we  take  the  New. 
Testament,  merely  as  a  history^  we  will  find  ample  proofs 
therein,  showing  that  the  Saviour  established  a  Church  in 
form  of  a  regularly  organized  society. 

We  read  in  the  sacred  writings  that  He  called  twelve  men 
to  aid  Him  in  carrying  out  the  great  scheme  of  man's  re- 
demption. He  charges  these  to  go  and  teach  all  nations 
what  they  had  heard  from  Himself.  We  behold  this  little 
society  growing  with  marked  rapidity  till,  within  half  a  cen- 
tury after  the  Saviour's  ascension,  His  name  became  a  house- 
hold word  through()ut  the  Roman  Empire. 

Now  comes  the  question :  Was  there  any  subordination 
between  those  original  Disciples?  or  was  each  independent 
or  at  liberty  to  follow  such  views  as  might  have  been  most 
pleasing  to  his  individual  self?  A  great  English  poet  has 
said,  wisely  and  well,  that 

Order  is  Heaven's  first  law,  and  tliis  confessed. 
Some  are  and  must  be  greater  than  the  rest. 

In  all  the  works  of  God  we  have  evidence  of  order.  This 
globe  on  which  we  live  is  proof  enough  without  going  fur- 
ther ;  there  is  not  a  particle  of  it  but  tends  to  a  common 
center.  Even  in  the  works  of  intelligent  men  we  notice  the 
same  principle.  In  each  country  there  is  always  some  one 
person  whose  jurisdiction  is  admitted  to  be  above  all  others. 

If  this  were  not   so  mankind   would  soon  become  a  mere 


ALETHAURION.  9 

herd.  Hence,  from  the  nature  of  the  case,  and  by  compari- 
son with  the  other  works  of  God,  we  are  naturally  disposed 
to  look  for  the  precedence  of  some  one  over  the  rest  of  the 
Apostles  and  Disciples. 

The  scriptures  bear  testimony  showing,  that  what  each 
rational  man  thinks  ought  to  have  been  done,  is  what  in  re- 
ality was  done.  Hence,  wherever  the  Apostles  are  spoken 
of  Peter  is  mentioned  first  and  Judas  last.  This  is  impor- 
tant to  be  observed,  for  it  shows  the  evangelists  acknowl- 
edged the  supremacy  of  Peter,  otherwise  they  would  not  upon 
all  occasions  have  put  his  name  at  the  head  of  the  list.  Be- 
sides we  read  in  the  xvi  chapter  of  St.  Matthew's  gospel,  words 
addressed  to  the  Apostle  in  question  which  clearly  shows  a 
primacy  :  *'Thou  art  Peter,  and  upon  this  rock  I  will  build 
my  Church,  and  the  gates  of  hell  shall  not  prevail  against 
it."  Peter  is  the  rock  on  which  the  Church  is  built,  and 
as  the  foundation  is  that  which  principally  gives  solidity  to  a 
building,  so  Peter  was  chosen  as  the  Apostle  who  was  to 
give  strength  to  the  future  spiritual  edifice. 

So,  also,  in  the  xvi  chapter  of  St.  John's  gospel,  Peter 
receives  the  commission  to  feed  the  sheep  and  lambs  of  the 
flock.  By  feeding  we  may  understand  ruling  and  teaching, 
for  such  is  the  force  of  the  word  in  the  original.  From  all 
this  it  will  be  seen  that,  in  the  twelve  Apostles,  we  have  a 
perfect  image  of  the  Church  teaching,  even  as  it  is  now. 
We  have  a  Pope  in  the  person  of  Peter,  and  bishops  in  the 
persons  of  the  other  Apostles.  And,  on  the  day  of  Pentecost, 
when  the  three  thousand  were  converted  to  the  faith,  we 
have  the  Church  teaching,  and  the  Church  taught,  as  at  pres- 
ent. 

Hence,  whether  we  begin  with  our  times,  and  trace  Chris- 
tianity up  the  stream,  or  begin  with  Christ  and  sail  down 
the  current,  the  conclusion  must  be  that  Christ  established 
a  Church  as  a  regularly  organized  society  ;  and,  furthermore, 
that  the  Church  established  by  Him  is  identical  with  that 
of  which  Pius  IX  is  to-day  the  acknowledged  visible  head. 


10  ALETHAURION. 

Now,  the  sects  claim  Christ  as  the  founder  of  their  sev- 
eral Churches  just  as  we  do.  But,  when  asked  for  proofs, 
they  proceed  by  different  ways  to  establish  their  claims  ; 
some  of  them,  as  for  example  the  Episcopalians,  pretend  to 
have  apostolic  succession  through  the  Catholic  Church,  be- 
fore the  time  of  the  reformation  ;  others,  such  as  the  Bap- 
tists, i)retend  to  be  able  to  trace  themselves  up  to  the  time 
of  the  Apostles  through  the  various  primitive  and  medieval 
heretical  sects  ;  others  again,  such  as  the  Campbellites,  care 
nothing  for  apostolic  succession,  just  as  the  fox  that  lost  his 
tail  in  a  steel  trap  cared  nothing  for  such  an  appendage  ; 
yet,  they  also  claim  Christ  as  the  founder  of  their  Church, 
on  the  ground  that  they  believe  what  He  taught. 

The  claims  of  these  various  sects  we  will  ventilate  more 
freely  in  future  articles.  But,  from  the  tenacity  with 
which  the  members  of  each  sect  claim  Christ  as  the  found- 
er of  their  society,  we  are  warranted  in  saying  that  the  be- 
lief that  He  established  a  Church  here  upon  earth,  is  one  of 
those  points  upon  which  nearly  all  agree  ;  though,  as  was 
said  at  the  beginning,  the  ideas  of  most  non-Catholics  in 
this  country,  are  misty  and  uncertain  on  the  subject.  In 
the  next  we  will  show  that  the  Church  of  Christ  was  organ- 
ized and  in  full  working  order,  before  a  word  of  the  New 
Testament  was  written. 


CHAPTER  n. 


THE  CHURCH  MORE  ANCIENT   THAN  THE  NEW   TESTA3IENT. 

Whether  the  Church  of  Christ  was  organized  and  per- 
fected before  the  scriptures  of  the  New  Testament  were 
written,  is  a  question  of  fact,  and  must  be  treated  like  oth- 
ers of  its  kind.  Thus,  when  one  wishes  to  know  which  is 
the  more  ancient,  as  an  historical  personage,  Julius  C^sar 


ALETHAURION.  11 

or  Alkxand*:r  THE  Great,  all  he  has  to  do  is  to  get  a  his- 
tory and,  if  he  knows  how  to  read,  he  will  soon  find  out.  It 
is  nuu'h  the  same  as  regards  the  relative  claims  to  antiquity 
of  the  Church  and  the  New  Testament. 

The  Church,  as  was  said  in  a  previous  article,  began  to 
exist  on  the  feast  of  Pentecost,  fifty  days  after  the  Saviour's 
death  ;  though  its  teaching  portion  had  already  been  organ- 
ized, with  the  Apostle  Peter  as  visible  head.  But,  for 
present  purposes,  it  will  be  sufficient  to  go  back  only  as  far 
as  Pentecost.  Now,  that  we  have  determined  when  the 
Church  began,  let  us  next  take  up  the  New  Testament,  and 
see  what  history  says  of  it.  This  done,  there  will  be  no 
further  need  of  logic  ;  and  all  that  remain  will  be  a  few 
easy  sophisms,  partly  from  infidel  and  partly  from  heretical 
sources. 

On  opening  the  New  Testament,  the  first  portion  thereof 
that  meets  the  eye  is  the  gospel  of  St.  Matthew,  so  called 
from  the  name  of  its  author.  Matthew,  before  having  been 
called  to  be  an  Apostle,  was  a  publican,  or  collector  of  the 
state  revenues.  This  office  was  considered  honorable  among 
the  Romans  ;  but,  to  a  Jew,  the  profession  and  looks  of  a 
publican  were  detestable.  The  notorious  infidel  Renan,  says, 
with  apparent  satisfaction,  in  his  *'Life  of  Jesus,''  that 
Matthew  was  an  officer  of  inferior  grade.  This  observa- 
tion was,  no  doubt,  made  to  show  that  he  did  not  resign 
much,  when  he  left  his  post  and  its  duties,  to  follow  Christ 
and  preach  His  gospel. 

Matthew  is  the  first  of  the  Saviour's  followers  who  com- 
mitted any  portion  of  His  teachings  to  writings.  Papias, 
Origen  and  Irenius,  writers  of  the  first  and  second  centu- 
ries, as  also  EusEBius,  the  father  of  Church  history,  tell  us 
that  he  wrote  in  modern  Hebrew,  or  Syro-Chaldaic,*  the 
language  spoken  at  that  time  by  the  Jews.  The  original 
text  has  been  lost ;  the  oldest  copy  extant  being  in  the  an- 
cient Greek.  As  regards  the  date  of  its  first  publication, 
it  is  sufficient  to  observe  that  none    of  the   Fathers  make  it 


12  ALETHAURION. 

earlier  than  the  year  41,  that  is  eight  years  after  our  Lord's 
ascension. 

Here,  then,  we  have  the  Church  in  existence,  and  under 
full  sail,  for  eight  years  before  one  word  of  the  New  Tes- 
tament had  been  written.  The  Apostles  and  its  other  bish- 
ops preached  the  gospel,  baptized,  changed  the  bread  and 
wine  into  the  body  and  blood  of  Christ,  and  annointed  the 
sick  with  oil  before  any  one  thought  of  taking  up  the  pen. 
Hundreds  believed,  confessed  their  sins,  did  penance,  and 
departed  this  life  in  peace  without  having  had  an  oi)portuni- 
ty  of  practicing  that  hobby  doctrine  of  modern  sectarians 
— hible  reading. 

We  might  drop  the  question  just  here,  for  enough  has  been 
said  to  establish  all  we  undertook  to  prove.  But  the  nature 
of  the  subject  tempts  us  to  go  farther  and  give  a  brief  view 
of  other  parts  of  the  gospel  along  with  some  contemporary 
facts. 

Eight  years  after  Matthew,  and  consequently  sixteen  af- 
ter the  Saviour's  ascension,  Mark  wrote  his  gospel. 

EusEBius,  in  the  second  book  of  his  Church  history,  tells 
us  that  he  undertook  it  at  the  request  of  the  faithful  of 
Rome.  The  Romans  wished  to  have  in  writing  a  part  at 
least  of  what  they  had  heard  orally  from  Peter. 

Mark  was  not  an  Apostle,  nor  is  it  certain  that  he  was  an 
immediate  disciple  of  the  Saviour.  The  probability  is  that 
he  was  converted  to  the  faith  after  the  ascension.  Yet,  the 
fidelity  of  his  writing  has  never  been  questioned,  because  af- 
ter his  gospel  had  l)ecn  written  it  received  the  approval  of 
Peter,  of  whom  Mark  was  a  disciple  and  follower. 

The  Church  of  Alexandria,  in  Egypt,  that  remained  for 
centuries  in  so  flourishing  a  condition,  and  gave  us  so  many 
eminent  not  only  for  sanctity  but  also  for  learning,  was 
founded  by  him.  After  a  ministry  of  nineteen  years  he 
suffered  martyrdom  and  was  buried  in  that  city  for  whose 
spiritual  welfare  he  had  so  long  and  so  earnestly  labored. 
In  the  beginning  of  the  fourth  century,  a  church   was  built 


AtETHAUEION.  13 

over  the  sp6t  where  he  was  buried  and  his  relics  placed  un- 
der the  principal  altar,  where  they  remained  till  about  the 
middle  of  the  eighth  when  they  were  taken  to  Venice. 

The  Venetians  also  claim  they  have  the  original  manu- 
script of  Mark's  gospel,  but  so  injured  by  time  that  not  even 
a  sinirle  letter  can  be  distinijuished. 

The  third  of  the  gospels,  in  the  order  given,  is  that  of 
Luke.  This  evangelist  was  born  in  Antioch,  and  was,  be- 
fore his  conversion,  a  physician.  Having  embraced  Chris- 
tianitjs  he  did  not  abandon  the  healing  art  but  still  practiced, 
though  in  a  higher  s]3here,  and  agreeably  to  the  teaching  of 
Christ,  the  great  physician  of  our  souls.  He  was  the  com- 
panion of  Paul  in  most  of  his  voyages  and  labors  ;  but  after 
the  death  of  the  great  Apostle,  little  is  known  with  certainty, 
of  his  subsequent  career  ;  nor  has  the  name  of  the  place  nor 
the  time  and  manner  of  his  death  been  handed  down.  Luke 
wrote  his  gospel  in  the  year  53,  twenty  after  the  Saviour's 
ascension,  and  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles  ten  years  later. 

Let  us  now  advert  to  the  fourth  and  last  of  the  gospels, 
which  is  that  of  John,  the  Disciple  so  beloved  by  the  Saviour. 
It  was  to  him  that  He  entrusted  His  Blessed  Mother  on  the 
summit  of  Calvary  before  He  closed  His  eyes  and  slept .  John 
is  the  only  one  of  the  Apostles  that  lived  to  see  the  end  of 
the  first  century.  All  the  others  had,  long  before,  fallen 
victims  to  their  zeal  and  gone  to  drink  anew  the  fruit  of  the 
vine  with  Christ  in  the  Kingdom  of  His  Father.  It  is  be- 
lieved that  he  lived  at  Ephesus  and  governed  the  Church  in 
that  city  till  about  the  yesiv  104.  He  wrote  his  gospel  in 
the  year  96,  sixty-three  after  the  ascension. 

It  would  take  us  too  far  from  the  main  question  to  go  into 
details  regarding  the  periods  at  which  other  portions  of 
the  New  Testament  were  written.  Let  it  suffice  to  say  that 
none  save  the  book  of  Revelations,  is  of  more  recent  date 
than  the  gospel  of  St.  John,  and  none  earlier  than  that  of 
St.  Matthew.     Let  it    be  remembered  then,  that   it  was  not 


14  ALETHAURION. 

till  the  sixty-fourth  year  after  our  Lord's  ascension,  that 
all  the  books  of  the  New  Testament  had  been  written. 

A  little  meditation  on  these  facts  and  figures  will  not  only 
convince  us  that  the  Church  is  more  ancient  than  the  New 
Testament,  but  also  teach  the  important  lesson  that  to  it 
was  confided  the  task  of  keeping  pure  and  of  propagating 
the  religion  of  Christ.  This  lesson  has  never  been  rightly 
studied  nor  learnt  by  the  heretics  of  any  age,  and  hence 
their  mouthings  about  reading  the  bible. 

Furthermore,  let  it  be  observed,  that  though  all  the 
books  of  the  New  Testament  were  completed  within  a  pe- 
riod of  sixty-four  years  after  the  ascension,  still,  it  was  not 
till  some  time  later  on,  they  were  collected  into  one  vol- 
ume. Had  there  not  been  the  Church  during  that  period, 
to  teach  men  the  way  of  salvation,  how  few  would  have 
heard  of  the  Babe  of  Bethlehem,  or  of  the  victim  of  Calva- 
ry ;  and  how  still  fewer  would  have  been  able,  in  the  multi- 
tude of  conflicting  opinions,  to  determine  exactly  what  the 
Saviour  wished  men  to  believe. 

Before  dismissing  these  questions  regarding  the  written 
word,  it  may  be  asked,  whether  Christ  wrote  anything. 
Almost  any  one,  whose  mind  is  not  a  blank,  would  readily 
answer  in  the  negative.  They  mean  He  wrote  no  part  of 
the  New  Testament ;  and  thus  far  the  answer  is  correct. 
Yet,  though  not  generally  known,  there  was  quite  a  contro- 
versy among  the  learned,  regarding  the  genuinity  of  a  cer- 
tain letter,  which  He  is  said  to  have  written,  with  His  own 
hand,  to  Abgarus,  King  of  Edessa.  The  circumstances  of 
the  case  are  about  as  follows  : 

Abgarus,  having  heard  of  Christ  and  of  His  great  mira- 
cles, sent  one  of  his  servants  into  Judea  with  a  letter,  in 
which  he  requested  to  be  delivered  from  an  infirmity  under 
which  he  was  laboring.  The  letter  also  contained  a  profes- 
sion of  faith  in  the  divinity  of  Christ. 

"When  T  heard  of  the  gi-eat  works  performed  by  Thee,"  says  the  King, 
"I  thought  that  one  of  two  things  must  he  true ;  either  Thou  art  God 


ALETHAURION.  15 

descended  on  earth  from  the  highest  place  in  Heaven,  or  Thou  art  the  Son 
of  God,  because  of  the  splendid  miracles  wliich  Ttiou  dost  perform." 

In  another  portion  of  this  letter  he  invites  the  Saviour  to 
come  and  live  in  his  dominions. 

"I  have  heard,"  says  he,  "all  Thou  hast  done  and  what  Thou  hast  suf- 
fered from  the  reprobate  and  ungrateful  Jews ;  come,  therefore,  hither 
and  make  lliy  home  in  our  midst," 

EusEBius,  the  historian  in  book  I,  chapter  XIII,  gives  us 

this  letter  as  an  authentic  document,  and  tells  us,  moreover, 

that  he  found  it  in  the  archives  of  Edessa,  and  did   himself 

translate  it  from  the  Syraic  into  Greek.     In  the  same  book 

and  chapter  he  gives  the  Saviour's  answer.     Christ  praises 

the  faith  of  Abgarus  in  these  words  : 

*'  O,  Abgarus,  blessed  art  thou,  who  without  seeing,  hast  believed  in  me; 
for  of  me  it  is  written,  that  those  who  have  seen  did  not  believe;  that 
they  who  have  not  seen  may  believe  and  have  eternal  life." 

Further  on,  He  promises  to  send  one  of  his  Apostles  to 
Edessa,  to  preach  the  gospel  and  rectify  whatever  might  be 
amiss. 

The  genuinity  of  both  of  those  letters  has  been  among 
learned  men,  a  matter  of  contention.  Those  who  deny  their 
authenticity  say,  that  it  is  unreasonable  to  think  that  a  docu- 
ment written  by  the  Saviour  Himself,  should  have  been  for- 
gotten till  late  in  the  fourth  century. 

The  others  reply  that  this  is  no  more  strange  than  that  the 
cross  itself,  on  which  He  died,  should  have  remained  so 
till  the  time  of  the  Empress  Helena  ;  and  besides,  that 
after  the  death  of  Abgarus,  to  whom  the  letter  was  sent, 
His  successors  had  not  the  same  faith  in  Christ,  and  took 
not  the  same  interest  in  His  letter  ;  hence  it  remained  for- 
gotten in  the  archives. 

Again,  one  party  says,  if  the  letter  of  Christ  had  been 
genuine,  it  Avould  have  been  put  with  the  inspired  writings  ; 
but,  on  the  contrary,  Pope  Gelasius,  when  forming  the 
catalogue  of  inspired  books,  rejected  it  as  not  authentic. 

The  other  answers,  it  is  not  certain  that  Pope  Gelasius  is 
author  of  the  catalogue  that  bears  his  name.    Moreover,  say 


16  AT.ETHAUKION. 

they,  scripture  is  scripture,  not  so  much  because  of  its  au- 
thor, as  by  reason  of  the  authority  of  the  Church  which 
determines  the  question  of  its  inspiration. 

Then  again  says  the  first  party,  how  does  it  happen  that 
both  letters  were  found  at  Edessa  ?  One  at  least  ought  to 
have  been  in  Judea,  where  Christ  lived. 

This  could  very  easily  have  happened,  answers  the  other. 
Christ  could  have  given  the  king's  letter  to  the  courier, 
along  with  His  own  answer,  and  thus  both  would  naturally 
have  been  found  at  Edessa. 

We  shall  not  pursue  this  question  farther  ;  though  several 
other  reasons  are  given  for  and  against  its  authenticity. 
Catholic  theologians  at  the  present  day,  regard  the  letters  as 
not  genuine,  and  explain  what  Eusebius,  St.  Ephrem  and 
others  of  the  ancient  fathers  have  said  on  the  subject,  by 
saying  they  were  deceived  by  some  scribe  who  counterfeited 
both  letters  and  wished  to  have  them  pass  as  genuine. 

In  the  next  chapter  we  will  speak  on  the  constitution  of 
the  Church,  and  while  so  doing  will  attempt  to  define  who 
its  members  are,  and  what  is  to  be  thought  of  the  prospects 
in  the  next  life  of  those  who  will  not  enter  the  true  fold  in 
this. 


CHAPTER  III. 


THE  constitution  OF  THE  CHURCH 

In  previous  chapters  we  demonstrated  the  two  important 
principles  ;  that  the  Saviour  established  a  Church  ;  and,  that 
this  was  done  before  the  New  Testament  was  written.  We 
also  spoke,  in  general  terms,  of  the  progress  of  Christianity, 
and  of  the  vast  proportions  it  had  assumed,  even  before  the 
end  of  the  first  century. 

There  is  surely  a  temptation  to  dwell  on  such  thoughts  ; 
the  same  we  experience  on  beholding,  for  the  first  time,  a 


ALETHAVRION.  17 

magnificent  palace,  or  the  peaks  of  a  lofty  and  majestic 
momitain.  The  mind  feels  it  has  something  worthy  its  con- 
templation, and  expands,  to  grasp  the  entire  grandeur  of 
its  object. 

But  there  are  few  who  can  take  in  so  much  at  a  glance  ; 
and,  ■when  gazing  at,  or  meditating  on  things  colossal,  either 
in  the  physical  or  moral  order,  we  instinctively  feel  the  need 
of  more  extended  faculties.  Hence,  it  is  only  by  taking  one 
part  at  a  time,  and  observing  how  perfectly  it  answers  its 
purposes,  and  how  well  it  harmonizes  with  the  whole,  that 
we  can  form  anything  like  an  adequate  idea  of  the  wisdom 
displayed  in  the  formation  of  the  Church. 

Let  us  meditate  on  its  constitution,  and  determine  who 
its  members  are. 

The  Church  has  been  compared  to  a  city,  situated  on  a 
hill,  that  cannot  be  hidden  ;  it  has  been  likened  to  a  ship, 
set  afloat  on  the  sea,  tossed  about  by  the  winds  and  waves  ; 
but  with  its  prow  ever  pointed  towards  the  heavenly  Jerusa- 
lem, and  in  no  danger  of  being  submerged,  till  it  shall  have 
passed  to  the  golden  gates  of  the  celestial  city,  and  laid  its 
caro'o  before  the  throne  of  God.. 

It  is  not,  however,  under  any  of  these  appropriate  but 
highly  poetical  similitudes  we  wish  to  speak  of  it  in  the 
present  chapter,  but  rather  as  an  organic  society,  or  moral 
person. 

Now,  it  is  a  truth  of  the  faith  that  we  profess,  a  motive 
which  lies  at  the  foundation  of  each  religious  act  we  per- 
form, that,  along  with  these  bodies  of  ours  that  will  soon 
return  to  dust,  each  one  has  a  soul  that  will  never  die.  It 
is  thus,  also,  with  the  Church.  It  has  a  soul  and  body, 
united  in  a  mysterious  w^ay,  and  acting,  one  upon  the  other, 
in  a  manner  similar  to  those  two  component  parts  of  each 
individual  man. 

Some  theologians  have  gone  so  far  as  to  call  the  Church  a 
contiimation  of  the  incarnation  ;  by  which  is  meant  that 
Christ  wished  to  leave  in  it  a  perfect  image  of  Himself ;  so 


18  ALETHAURION. 

that  He  may  be  said  to  live  and  converse  with  us,  even  after 
His  visible  ascension  into  heaven.  This  idea,  properly 
understood,  is  consistent  with  sound  doctrine.  But  we  must 
not  lose  sight  of  the  truth,  that  the  individuality  of  Christ 
is  distinct  from  that  of  the  moral  person  we  call  the  Church. 

With  these  observations,  let  us  proceed  a  step  farther,  and 
define  what  we  mean  by  its  soul  and  body ;  for,  on  the 
proper  understanding  of  terms  will  depend,  in  a  great  meas- 
ure, the  gaining  of  a  true  conception  of  any  question. 

By  the  soul  of  the  Church,  we  mean  sanctifying  grace  ; 
by  which  men  are  intimately  united  with  God  ;  and  by  aid 
of  which  they  may  bring  forth  fruit  worthy  of  the  Christian 
name.  Faith,  hope,  charity  and  those  admirable  gifts,  be- 
stowed upon  men  of  heroic  sanctity,  may  also  be  included. 
Now,  as  the  soul  that  is  within  us,  enlivens  the  mortal  por- 
tion of  our  being,  so  does  sanctifying  grace,  and  the  virtues 
and  gifts  spoken  of,  vivify  the  body  of  the  Church;  and 
hence,  writers  on  theology  have  very  appropriately  called 
them  its  soul. 

This  division  of  the  Church  into  soul  and  body,  is  one 
whose  propriety  most  sectarians  willingly  admit.  Some 
even  maintain,  that  the  Church  of  Christ  is  all  soul  and  no 
body.  The  reason  for  such  an  opinion  will  become  evident, 
when  we  reflect  on  the  difficulty  met  with  in  answering  the 
question :  where  was  Protestantism  before  Luther  ? 

If  he  who  attempts  the  solution,  is  a  man  of  parts  he 
knows  it  will  not  do  to  admit  it  had  no  being.  To  say  that 
it  existed  in  the  sects,  excommunicated  before  Luther's 
time,  would  be  going  too  low,  and  would  not  help,  even  if 
one  should  descend  so  far.  Hence  the  necessity  of  either 
admitting  that  the  Catholic  Church  represented  Christianity 
till  the  sixteenth  century,  or,  of  having  recourse  to  the  idea 
of  an  inorganic  and  invisible  Church,  composed  of  all  who 
lived  piously  and  justly  from  the  days  of  the  Apostles  to  the 
date  of  the  so-called  Reformation. 

We  do  not  mean  to  say  that  this  notion  of  an   invisible 


ALETHAURION.  19 

Church  is, held  by  all  sectarians,  for  they  have  as  many  dif- 
ferent theories  as  they  have  heads.  It  serves  as  a  means  of 
escape  when  pressed  by  such  questions  as  the  one  we  have 
given,  and  expresses  well  what  ive  understand  by  the  soul  of 
the  Church  in  the  concrete^  of  which  all  and  only  the  just  are 
members. 

By  the  just,  we  do  not  mean  the  predestined,  but  all  who 
are  free  from  the  guilt  of  mortal  sin.  We  must  carefully 
distinguish  between  the  two  classes  of  persons  ;  for,  if  the 
wovd  predestined  were  substituted  for  just  in  the  proposition 
given  above,  it  would  be  as  unsound  and  heretical  as  any  that 
Luther  ever  wrote. 

To  illustrate  our  meaning  more  fully,  let  us  take  an  ex- 
ample. We  have  in  this  country,  at  the  present  day,  two 
sects :  the  one  called  the  Presbyterian,  and  the  other  the 
Hard-Shell  Baptist  Church.  Now,  these  two  are  peculiar. 
They  hold  what  are  called  Calvinistic  doctrines ;  one  of 
which  is,  that  the  Church  of  Christ,  on  earth,  is  made  up 
entirely  of  the  predestined  ;  and  that,  when  a  man  becomes 
once  the  friend  of  God,  or,  as  they  say,  **get8  religion," 
and  joins  the  Church,  he  is  safe  for  all  time,  and  for  eter- 
nity ;  because  he  cannot  sin  any  more. 

But  experience  seems,  often,  to  contradict  the  assumption. 
Thus,  it  sometimes  happens  that  a  member  of  the  Church 
gets  caught  and  convicted  of  theft,  or  gets  into  the  State's 
prison  for  illicit  distilling.  When  his  brethren  are  asked  to 
arise  and  explain  how  one  of  the  elect  got  into  such  an  in- 
eligible place,  they  readily  answer,  that  their  fallen  brother 
was  either  never  truly  converted,  or,  if  so,  the  crime  of 
theft  is  by  no  means  imputed  to  him  by  the  Saviour. 

Secular  judges  do  not  always  understand  such  nice  and 
subtile  points  of  Calvinistic  theology,  and  the  consequence 
is,  that  sometimes  a  Church  member  to  whom  the  Lord  has 
imputed  no  sin  goes  to  the  gallows  for  what  the  unregene- 
rate  are  pleased  to  term  the  crime  of  murder. 

But  it  is  not  alone  the  secular  judges  that  find  difficulty 


20  ALETHAURIOX. 

in  distinguishing  between  the  elect  and  the  reprobate.  The 
Presbyterians  and  Hard-Shells  themselves  freely  admit  that 
it  is  no  easy  matter  to  tell  when  a  man  is  really  and  truly 
converted,  or  in  other  words  '* gets  religion  for  good." 

The  following,  however,  may  be  taken  as  a  case  about 
which  there  can  be  no  two  ways  of  thinking  : 

Some  few  years  ago,  whilst  a  resident  of  the  town  of  R., 
the  court-house  bell  one  evening  began  to  chime  forth  with 
a  vehemence  that  left  no  doubt  that  something  of  import- 
ance was  then  going  on,  or  else  about  to  be  commenced. 
The  ringing  we  took  to  be  a  call  for  a  proposed  railroad 
meeting,  and  curiosity  directed  our  foot-steps  to  the  scene 
of  action.  We  found  on  arriving  not  a  railroad,  but  a  religious 
meeting  in  progress.  A  tall,  extremely  pious-looking  'man 
dressed  in  black  but  having  on  a  white  neck-tie,  stood  where 
the  judge  generally  sits  in  court-houses.  His  eyes  were 
raised  in  jDrayer,  and  the  whites  were  glassy  from  gazing  so 
long  in  one  direction.  It  was  mid-summer  and  the  doors 
stood  wide  open,  so  we  thought  we  would  wait  t)utside  and 
see  what  was  to  come.  After  some  prefatory  remarks,  the 
preacher  gave  his  hearers  an  account  of  the  manner  of  his 
conversion,  as  nearly  as  we  can  remember,  in  the  following 
words : 

"  I  was"  said  he,  "  in  my  youth  very  wild  and  inconsiderate,  resisting 
like  Saul,  the  grace  of  the  Lord,  and  refusing  to  bend  my  stubborn  neck 
to  the  sweet  yoke  of  Jesus.  Finally  one  day  at  a  camp -meeting  I  heard 
a  very  powerful  sermon  on  the  wickedness  and  propensity  to  evil  of  the 
human  heart,  which  so  convicted  me  of  sin,  that  I  fell  down  where  I  stood 
with  my  face  to  the  earth.  I  sank  my  lingers  into  the  loose  clay  and 
tore  it  up  like  an  ox.  I  cried  out  in  the  presence  of  all  that  I  was  a  filthy 
sinner,  I  halloed  to  the  Lord  for  mercy,  I  rolled  over,  I  cried  Hke  an 
infant  and  I  kicked.  When  they  raised  me  up"  said  he,  "I  felt  I  was  a 
changed  man,  and  ever  since  then  I  have  had  no  misgiving  on  the  cer- 
tainty of  my  calling  and  election  to  glory." 

No  doubt. 

We  have  introduced  this  case  in  order  to  give  some  idea 

of  what  a  member  of  the  Church  is,  or  ought  to  be,  according 


ALETHAURION.  ^  21 

to  Calvinistic  notions.  He  must  be  one  of  the  elect,  a  man 
whose  salv^ation  is  a  fixed  and  unalterable  fact. 

This  doctrine  may  appear  to  the  casual  observer  similar  to 
that  held  by  us  regarding  the  soul  of  the  Church,  but  on 
closer  examination  it  will  be  found  totally  different.  Not 
all  the  elect  beloug  to  the  soul  of  the  Church,  for  some, 
though  predestined  to  eternal  life,  may  nowbe  in  sin  ;  so  too, 
not  all  who  belong  to  the  soul  of  the  Church  are  predestined, 
for  some,  though  at  present  in  a  state  of  grace  may  fall  into 
sin  and  never  rise  therefrom. 

To  one  who  understands  all  that  has  been  said  respecting 
the  soul  of  the  Church,  the  question  naturally  suggests  it- 
self :  May  not  many  Protestants  be  members  of  it,  and  thus 
be  in  the  way  of  salvation,  even  though  they  may  not  belong 
to  the  body  or  visible  portion  ? 

In  reply,  we  say  first  of  all,  that  we  have  no  interest 
whatever  in  trying  to  keep  Protestants  or  any  one  else  out 
of  heaven.  We  believe  that  in  our  Heavenly  Father's 
house  there  are  mansions  enough  for  us  all.  Yet,  the  in- 
terest of  truth  obliges  us  to  say,  that,  in  our  opinion,  the 
number  of  those  who  belong  to  the  soul  of  the  Church,  and 
are  not  members  of  its  body,  are  few.  Yet  there  may  be 
some,  but  God  alone  knows  who  they  are. 

We  have  heard  persons  say  :  **Well,  Protestants  believe 
they  are  right,  just  as  we  do."  Now,  even  granting  that 
such  is  the  case,  what  follows?    That  they  will  be  saved? 

By  no  means .  Catholics ,  one  and  all  believe  and  know  they 
are  right  and  yet,  only  those  w^ho  observe  the  moral  law  will 
be  saved.  Protestants  are  bound  to  observe  the  moral  law 
just  as  Catholics  are  ;  they  are  men  subject  to  and  sur- 
rounded by  the  same  temptations  and  dangers  that  we  have 
to  guard  against.  But  they  have  not  the  same  means  of 
vanquishing  the  enemy.  The  Catholic,  after  having  fallen, 
being  still  a  member  of  the  body  of  the  Church,  has  the  ad- 
vantage of  the  Sacraments,  those  medicines  left  by  Christ 
to  cure  the  sickly  soul.     The  other  has  only  an  undefined 


22  ALETHAUEION. 

and  vague  trust  in  the  mercies  of  the  Saviour.  The  Catho- 
lic, on  his  death-bed,  is  visited  by  his  spiritual  physician 
who  exhorts  him  to  repent  and  pronounces  over  him,  by  the 
authority  of  Cheist,  words  of  absolution.  He  is  made  par- 
taker of  that  bread  which  came  down  from  heaven,  of 
which,  says  the  Saviour,  he  that  eats  shall  live  forever.  He 
is  annointed  with  oil  in  the  name  of  the  Lord  and  the  prayer 
of  faith  is  said  over  him,  which  we  are  told  will  save  the 
sick  man.  The  other  has  none  of  these  advantages,  though 
during  life,  he  has  had  the  same  temptations. 

Let  Catholics  not  undervalue  the  favors  God  has  confer- 
red upon  them  in  making  them  members  of  His  Church,  nor 
blaspheme  the  efficacy  of  the  Sacraments  instituted  by 
Chkist  for  man's  salvation  by  saying  that  heaven  may  be 
gained  as  easily  without  as  with  them. 

Let  them  not  stultify  themselves  by  giving  sectarians  to 
understand  that  they  will  be  saved  outside  as  well  as  inside 
the  visible  Church.  Foi*,  if  that  be  true,  millions  have 
shed  their  blood  in  vain  ;  and  the  teachings  of  all  the  truly 
good  and  wise  for  eighteen  centuries  are  falsehoods.  Above 
all  let  Catholic  parents  show  their  appreciation  of  God's  fa- 
vors to  themselves  by  giving  their  children  a  Christian  edu- 
cation. In  the  next  chapter  we  will  speak  of  the  body  of 
tl^e  Church 


CHAPTER  IV. 


THE  BODY  OF  THE  CHURCH. 

In  our  last,  we  considered  what  is  to  be  understood  by 
the  soul  of  the  Church,  and  touched  on  the  question  regard- 
ing the  character  of  those  who  belong  to  it.  In  the  present 
we  confine  our  remarks  to  what  is  taught,  and  ought  to  be 
known  of  its  body. 

By  the  body  is  here  meant  the  external  or  visible  portion  ; 


ALETHAUBION.  23 

which,  for  the  better  understanding  of  what  follows,  we  may 
define,  in  the  words  of  the  illustrious  Bosuet,  as  *'  a  society 
of  men,  sojourners  in  the  world  and  professing  the  true 
doctrine  of  Christ." 

This  definition  was  given  in  the  conference  with  M.  Claude, 
and  is  one  that  cannot  be  objected  to  by  any  who  admit  a 
visible  Church.  We  accept  it  for  the  present,  though  a  little 
farther  on  we  will  take  the  liberty  of  giving  another,  more 
specific. 

With  this  idea,  let  us  advance  a  step,  and  inquire  who  are 
the  members  of  the  body  of  the  Church.  As  hinted  in  a 
previous  chapter,  there  is  under  this  heading  much  loose 
thought  and  uncertainty  among  sectarians.  The  writer  has 
found  even  Catholics,  living  in  out  of  the  way  places,  who 
spoke  in  strange  and  uncouth,  not  to  say  heretical  terms-, 
about  church  membership.  Such  a  style  of  speaking, 
whether  from  ignorance  or  affectation,  is  highly  improper, 
and  should  be  avoided. 

We  shall  not  attempt  to  define  the  conditions  required  for 
membership  by  the  various  sects,  scattered  over  the  country. 
For,  though  it  might  amuse  the  reader  to  do  so,  it  would  be 
tedious  to  a  writer.  Let  it  suffice  to  lay  down  what  the 
Catholic  Church  teaches  on  the  subject,  and  this,  rightly 
understood,  will  be  a  criterion  by  which  to  judge  of  the 
various  grades  of  deformity  in  the  teaching  of  the  sects. 

Should  the  question  be  asked  :  Who  are  members  of  the 
Church  in  the  Catholic  acceptation  of  the  phrase  ?  We  reply 
in  general  terms : 

They  are  all  persons  who  have  received  Christian  baptism. 
Now  baptism  may  be  validly  conferred  by  any  one,  whether 
believer  or  infidel,  who  has  the  proper  intention,  and  uses  the 
prescribed  form  and  matter  in*  the  administration  of  it. 
Hence,  not  only  we,  who  admit  the  jurisdiction  of  the  Pope, 
are  members  of  the  Catholic  Church,  but  all  schismatics  and 
baptized  heretics  belong  to  it. 

By  keeping  this  view   of  the  case  before  the  eye,  one 


24  ALETHAURION. 

catches  the  force  and  meaning  of  the  words  lately  used  by 
the  Holy  Father,  in  his  letter  to  the  Emperor  of  Germany, 
in  which  allusion  is  made  to  the  fact  that  all  baptized  per- 
sons belong,  in  a  certain  sense,  to  the  Pope. 

The  writer  has  heard  bishops  use  the  same  language  with 
regard  to  the  Protestants  wdthin  their  jurisdictions.  But 
to  most  Catholics  such  language  sounds  paradoxical.  They 
naturally  ask :  Does  the  bishop  mean  to  say  these  Protest- 
ants are  members  of  his  flock  ? 

We  reply,  that  is  what  is  meant.  And,  that  we  may  not 
be  misunderstood,  some  principles  need  be  laid  down  and 
explained. 

First  of  all,  let  it  be  remembered,  that  Heaven  recognizes 
only  one  Church  on  earth.  All  others  are  delusions,  mir- 
ages of  Satan,  that  have  no  reality.  The  Church  to  which 
we  allude  is  the  Catholic — the  Kingdom  of  Christ  upon 
earth.  Men  become  citizens  of  it  being  born  again  of  water 
and  of  the  Holy  Ghost ;  and,  when  once  their  names  are 
registered,  they  can  never  more  leave  the  kingdom,  for  it  is 
co-extensive  with  the  world. 

''■Ask  of  me,"  says  lioly  David,  speaking  in  the  person  of  the  Eternal 
Father,  to  His  only  begotten  Son,  ''and  I  will  give  Thee  the  nations  as  Thy 
inheritance,  and  Thy  possessions  the  limits  of  the  earth." — [Ps.  ii.  v. 

Neither  is  it  possible  for  a  citizen  of  this  kingdom  to 
transfer  his  allegiance  to  any  other  sovereign  ;  for  there  is 
no  other  to  whom  it  can  be  lawfully  given.  Hence,  he  may 
become  rebellious,  ])ut  does  not  cease  to  be  a  subject. 

Now,  St.  Paul  tells  us  there  is  one  baptism,  and  this  is 
the  one  and  only  entrance  to  the  kingdom  of  Christ,  and, 
since  this  gate  can  be  thrown  open  by  any  one,  hence  it  hap- 
pens that  thousands  enter  the  Catholic  Church,  without  be- 
ing aware  of  the  fact. 

The  Methodist  preacher  baptizes  a  man,  the  Campbellite 
dips  a  believer  in  the  stream — the  one  believes  he  has  initiated 
his  subject  into  the  Methodist  Church,  the  other  thinks  he 
has  made  a  Reformer  of  his.     Both  are  mistaken,  for  their 


ALETHAURION.  25 

men,  by  baptism,  enter  the  one  and  only  Church  to  which 
the  sacrament  gives  initiation. 

Baptism  is  the  door  that  leads  into  the  Catholic  Church, 
and,  when  one  goes  through  it,  he  is  in  the  Church,  whether 
he  Jikes  it  or  not.  And,  after  he  is  once  in,  he  can  never 
come  out,  for  he  cannot  unbaptize  himself,  nor  remove  the 
character  impressed  on  his  soul.  This  is  why  we  do  not  re- 
baptize  the  sectarians  that  join  us.  They  are  already  in  the 
Church,  and  all  we  require  of  them  is  to  admit  the  authority, 
and  be  guided  by  the  counsel  of  its  rulers. 

By  keeping  these  facts  in  mind,  it  will  be  readily  under- 
stood how  all  schismatics  and  heretics  belong  to  the  Pope. 
But,  some  one  may  say,  if  all  such  are  members  of  the 
Catholic  Church,  why  are  they  not  treated  as  brethren  in  the 
faith? 

The  reason  is,  because  they  are  in  rebellion  against  the 
lawfully  constituted  authority.  Hence  we  do  not  admit  their 
fellowship,  nor  call  them  members,  except  in  the  sense  al- 
ready explained. 

Before  proceeding  further,  we  may  observe  that,  just  here, 
comes  in  the  question  of  conscience  and  good  faith. 

There  may  be  sectarians  who  are  not  aware  that  they  are 
in  rebellion  against  Christ.  Such  persons,  in  good  faith, 
will  be  saved,  if  they  observe  the  moral  law,  and  act  accord- 
ing to  the  light  that  is  given.  The  fact  that  they  stand  on  the 
side  of  the  rebellious  will  not  be  imputed,  for  sin  pre-sup- 
poses  a  knowledge  of  its  evil,  and  a  will  to  commit  it  not- 
withstanding. 

"Without  presuming  to  say  whether  the  number  of  per- 
sons who  belong  to  the  sects,  and  are  in  good  faith,  be  great 
or  small,  we  take  occasion  to  remark  that  their  chances  for  sal- 
vation are  slender,  for  they  have  not  the  aid  of  the  Sacra- 
ments, and  when  the  soul  becomes  sick  by  sin,  they  have 
neither  the  physicians  nor  the  medicines  to  help  along 
recovery. 

Let  us  now   proceed  a  step   and  define  what  we  mean  by 


26  ALETHi^URION. 

the  Church  in  the  limited  and  ordinary  acceptation  of  the 
term.  The  true  Church  may  be  defined  in  the  following 
words,  or  in  others  of  similar  import : 

An  assembly  of  men,  sojourners  in  the  world  who  believe 
in  Christ,  participate  of  the  Sacraments  instituted  by  Him, 
live  subject  to  legitimate  pastors,  and. more  especially  to  the 
Bishop  of  Kome,  Vicar  of  Christ  upon  earth. 

By  this  definition  we  exclude  at  once  all  schismatics  and 
heretics  of  every  grade.  It  will  also  now  be  seen  how  a 
member  of  this  body  may  be  cut  off  or  excommunicated. 
Such  persons  do  not  cease  being  subject  to  legitimate  pas- 
tors but  are  separated  from  the  flock,  lest,  by  their  evil  in- 
fluence, they  may  be  led  astray. 

In  chapter  III,  speaking  of  the  soul  of  the  Church,  we  said 
that  all  and  only  the  just  belonged  to  it.  Of  the  body  on 
the  other  hand,  sinners  as  well  as  the  saints  are  full  and  recog- 
nized members. 

This  important  truth  was  denied  in  ancient  times  by  a 
sect  called  the  Novations,  who  maintained  that  as  soon  as  a 
man  had  sinned,  he  ceased  to  belono;  even  to  the  bodv  of 
the  Church.  John"  Wickliffe,  the  English  heresiarch, 
taught  pretty  much  the  same  doctrine.  But  we  take  occa- 
sion to  state,  once  for  all,  that,  when  speaking  of  heretics 
we  can  rarely,  if  ever,  say,  without  qualification,  that  one 
taught  as  another  did. 

A  heretic  is  a  man  that  chooses  for  himself  what  he  wishes 
to  believe  ;  and,  as  the  wishes  of  no  two  men  are  alike,  or, 
if  they  are,  will  never  remain  long  so,  hence  the  differences 
in  the  opinions  of  those  who  will  not  listen  to  authoritative 
teaching.  Revelation  to  a  heretic  is  like  a  wax  nose  that  be- 
comes aquiline  or  pug  as  he  pleases. 

We  have  said  that  all  the  faithful,  whether  saints  or  sin- 
ners, belong  to  the  body  of  the  Church.  That  such  is  the 
case,  may  be  seen  by  adverting  to  a  few  passages  of  scripture. 

In  Matthew  iii,  12,  the  Church  is  compared  to  a  thresh- 
ing floor  where  the  grain  and  chaff  are  mingled  together.  By 


ALETHAURION.  27 

the  grain,  the  just  are  evidently  meant,  and  by  chaff,  those 
in  mortal  sin.  In  chapter  xiii,  47,  of  the  same  gospel,  the 
kingdom  of  heaven,  ^.  e.  the  Church,  is  likened  to  a  net  cast 
into  the  sea,  gathering  together  all  kinds  of  fishes,  both  bad 
and  good.  Again,  in  chapter  xxii,  the  Church  is  a  nuptial 
feast,  to  which  good  and  bad  sit  down,  and  at  which  there 
was  found  a  man  who  had  not  on  a  weddins:  srarment. 

But  it  is  useless  to  multiply  texts  since  those  given  are  so 
clear  and  explicit.     Let  one  other  suffice  : 

In  i  Cor.  v.  3,  St.  Paul  commands  the  incestuous  Corin- 
thian to  be  expelled  from  the  Church. 

Now,  up  to  the  moment  of  his  expulsion,  this  Corinthian, 
though  in  sin,  was  a  member. 

Let  us  by  way  of  conclusion,  propose  to  ourselves  a  few 
objections : 

1.  In  the  Apostles'  Creed,  the  Church  is  called  holy. 
Could  it  be  justly  called  so  if  a  portion  of  its  members  were 
sinners  ? 

2.  If  sinners  belong  to  the  Church,  would  not  the  king- 
dom of  Christ  be  made  up  in  a  great  part  of  that  of  Satan  ? 

3.  St.  Paul,  Ephesians  v,  25,  makes  use  of  the  following 
words,  which  do  not  seem  to  favor  the  idea  of  a  Church  with 
sinful  members  :  **  Christ  also  loved  the  Church  and  de- 
livered Himself  up  for  it,  that  He  might  sanctify  it,  cleans- 
ing it  by  the  laver  of  water  in  the  word  of  life,  that  He 
might  present  it  to  Himself  a  glorious  Church,  not  having 
spot  or  winnkle  nor  any  such  thing,  but  that  it  should  be 
holy  and  wWiout  blemish.''^ 

Let  us  briefly  reply  to  these  objections  . 

First,  The  Church  ought  to  be  holy,  and  truly  is  so  we 
grant — to  the  exclusion  of  sinners,  we  deny.  The  Church  is 
called  holi/  in  the  creed  by  reason  of  its  soul,  which  as  we 
said  in  the  previous  chapter,  is  made  up  entirely  of  the  just. 
It  is  holy  by  reason  of  its  head  Jesus  Christ,  whose  sanctity 
will  not  be  questioned  here.  It  is  so  by  reason  of  its  docv 
trines,  and  of  the  other  means  it  employs  to  save  mankind . 


28  ALETHAURION. 

In  fine,  it  is  holy,  because  of  the  heroic  sanctity  of  so 
many  thousands  of  its  members.  We  have  here  several 
titles,  on  the  strength  of  any  of  which  the  Church  might 
prove  its  right  to'  be  called  holy. 

Second,  If  sinners  belong  to  the  Church,  the  kingdom  of 
Christ  is  made  up  in  a  great  part  of  that  of  Satai^ .  We  re- 
ply, sinners  may  in  one  respect  belong  to  Satan,  i.  e.  inas- 
much as  they  sin,  but  they  also  belong  to  Christ,  inasmuch 
as  they  acknowledge  Him  as  their  head,  and  live  subject  to 
legitimate  pastors.    In  this  there  is  no  contradiction. 

Third,  As  regards  the  words  of  St.  Paul,  we  may 
answer  \Y\th.  his  most  celebrated  commentator,  Estius,  tha^ 
Christ  cleanses  and  sanctifies  His  Church  by  the  sacraments 
in  this  world,  that  He  may  present  it  to  Himself  a  glorious 
Church  hereafter  in  heaven. 

In  the  next  we  will  speak  of  how  the  body  of  the  Church 
is  organized. 


CHAPTER  V. 


the  body  of  the  church — HOW  ORGANIZED. 

In  the  last  chapter  we  defined  the  body  of  the  Church  as 
an  assembly  of  men,  sojourners  in  this  world,  who  believe 
in  Christ,  participate  of  the  sacraments  instituted  by  Him, 
live  subject  to  legitimate  pastors,  and  especially  to  one,  the 
Bishop  of  Rome,  Vicar  "of  Christ  upon  earth. 

In  this  is  contained  the  germ  of  all  we  propose  saying  in . 
the  present  chapter.  Let  us  meditate  on  how  this  visible 
portion  of  the  Church  is  organized. 

We  may  define  our  position  in  the  following  words  :  The 
body  of  the  Church  is  made  up  of  a  divinely  instituted  hier- 
archy, consisting  of  bishops,  priests  and  deacons  ;  and  of 
the  laity.  Thus,  it  will  be  seen  that  the  visible  portion  of 
the  Church  is  made  up  of  two  distinct  parts — the  one  active, 


ALETHAUKION .  2d 

the  Other  passive  ;  the  one  ruling,  the  other  governed  ;  the 
one  teaching,  the  other  taught. 

We  have  used  the  words  divinely  instituted  hierarchy^  by 
which  we  mean  to  convey  the  idea  that  it  was  organized  by 
Christ  himself,  and  that  those  who  compose  it  do  not  de- 
rive their  right  to  rule  and  teach  from  the  governed,  but 
from  the  Saviour. 

We  have  said,  also,  that  the  hierarchy  is  the  teaciiing  por- 
tion, and  the  laity,  the  portion  taught.  By  this  we  do  not 
mean  that  a  lavman  oua^ht  never  teach  nor  give  relisjious  in- 
struction,  but  that  it  is  the  duty  and  privilege  of  the  hier- 
archy alone,  to  explain  authoritatively  the  true  sense  of  the 
scriptures,  to  preserve  pure  the  divine  traditions,  and,  as 
occasion  requires,  to  take  from  the  mass  of  revelation  one 
or  more  truths  and  formulate  them  into  articles  of  faith. 

This  done,  any  one  may  teach  it,  w^ho  knows  whereof  he 
speaks. 

In  our  definition,  we  make  no  mention  of  the  Roman  Pon- 
tiif.  Neither  do  we  include  patriarchs,  primates,  arch- 
bishops, arch-priests,  and  cardinals  ;  because  these  latter  are 
of  ecclesiastical,  as  distinct  from  divine  origin.  A  patriarch, 
or  primate,,  is  not  higher  than  a  bishop,  so  far  as  orders  are 
concerned,  but  his  jurisdiction  may  be,  and  often  is,  more 
extensive. 

With  these  observations,  let  us  now  see  if  Chkist  made 
the  distinction  we  speak  of.  This  is  one  of  the  points  of 
difference  between  us  and  the  Protestants,  who  deny  such  a 
distinction  drawn  by  the  Saviour.  But,  the  scriptures  are 
so  clearly  in  our  favor,  that  all  we  have  to  do  is  appeal  to 
them  and  the  question  will  be  at  once  satisfactorily  decided. 
Let  us  take  a  few  texts  and  briefly  explain  them. 

Iii  Matthew  xviii,  Christ  gives  to  the  Apostles  alone  the 
power  of  loosing  and  binding,  ^.  e.  the  power  of  remitting  or 
retaining  sin.  **Amen.  I  say  unto  you,  whatsoever  you 
shall  bind  upon  earth,  shall  be  bound  also  in  heaven;  and 


30  ALETHAURION. 

whatsoever  you  shall  loose   upon  earth,  shall  be  loosed  also 
in  heaven." 

Now  the  Saviour,  besides  the  twelve  Apostles,  had  also 
seventy-two  Disciples,  and  yet  this  power  of  loosing  and 
binding  is  given  only  to  the  Apostles.  Here  is  a  distinction 
made  by  the  Saviour  himself,  the  same  that  we  Catholics 
maintain  there  is  to  day  between  the  clergy  and  laity. 

Again,  Matthew  xxvi,  the  Saviour  gives  the  Apostles 
alone  the  power  of  consecrating  the  Eucharist.  **Do  this," 
says  He,  *'in  commemoration  of  Me." 

The  Apostles  alone  were  present  with  Him  at  the  Last 
Supper,  when  He  instituted  the  Sacrament  of  the  Eucharist. 
Why,  might  we  ask,  was  not  His  Blessed  Mother,  or  some 
one  of  His  Disciples  there,  also,  on  so  important  an  occa- 
sion ? 

The  reason  is  clear  enough  ;  because  the  Saviour,  on  that 
occasion,  was  going  to  institute  the  priesthood  of  the  new 
law,  and  draw  a  line  of  demarkation  that  was  to  remain  till 
the  end  of  time.  Hence,  only  the  Apostles  were  present, 
and  each  and  every  one  of  them  became  a  priest  of  the  new 
law,  just  as  soon  as  Christ  had  pronounced  the  words,  *'Do 
this  in  Commemoration  of  Me." 

Again,  in  Matthew  xxviii.,  He  commands  the  Apostles 
to  go  and  teach  all  nations,  promising  that  He  would  be 
with  them,  and  their  successors,  till  the  end  of  time.  *'Go 
ye,  therefore,"  says  He,  *' and  teach  all  nations,  baptizing 
them  in  the  name  of  the  Father,  and  of  the  Son,  and  of  the 
Holy  Ghost,  teaching  them  to  observe  all  things  whatsoever 
I  have  commanded  you  ;  and  behold,  I  am  with  you  always, 
even  to  the  consummation  of  the  world." 

Now,  one  must  be  necessarily  very  short-sighted  not  to 
see  in  these  several  texts  a  broad  line  of  distinction,  drawn 
between  the  Apostles  and  their  successors  in  office,  and  the 
rest  of  the  faithful. 

Protestants  maintain  that  the  Saviour  established  no 
external  priesthood,  and,  consequently,  deny  that  the  clergy 


ALETHAURION.  31 

and  laity  are,  by  divine  idght,  distinct  bodies  of  men.  They 
assert  that  every  one,  by  baptism,  becomes  a  priest,  and 
that  all  Church  authority  is  vested  in  the  people.  The 
members  being  thus  on  a  perfect  equality,  no  one  has  the 
right  to  assume  authority,  nor  teach  publicly,  till  duly 
elected  to  office  by  his  associates.  When  chosen,  he 
preaches  and  teaches  by  the  authority  of  the  Church  that 
chose  him.  This  he  may  continue  to  do  till  another  is 
elected  in  his  stead,  in  which  case  all  the  authority  given  to 
him  returns  to  those  by  whom  it  was  originally  granted, 
and  the  pastor  that  ivas  becomes  a  sim^jle  sheep,  in  no 
respect  different  from  the  other  members  of  the  flock. 

Kow,  though  every  Protestant  may  not  be  able  to  formu- 
late this  idea  as  we  have,  still,  to  an  attentive  observer,  it 
will  appear  evident  that  it  lies  at  the  foundation  of  their 
thoughts,  words  and  actions  on  Church  affairs. 

To  its  influence  we  may  trace  that  disrespect  with  which 
the  members  of  Protestant  churches  treat  those  of  their 
preachers  whom  they  conceive  guilty  of  some  misdemeanor. 
The  public  prints  are  occasionally  full  of  the  det^ails  of  how 
this,  that,  or  the  other  minister,  was  chased  off  by  the 
members  of  his  flock.  The  reason  of  all  this  is  because 
they  do  not  regard  their  pastor  as  a  man  sent  by  God  to 
rule  and  direct  them,  but  rather  as  a  servant,  of  whom  they 
expect  so  much  work  in  consideration  of  so  much  pay. 

We  may  now  bring  forward  some  passages  of  Scripture,  to 
show  that  the  authority  of  the  pastors  of  the  Church  is  not 
derived  from  the  people,  but  directly  from  Christ.  In 
Matthew  xxxviii,  the  Saviour  says  :  **A11  power  is  given  to 
-me  in  heaven  and  on  earth,  go  ye,  therefore,  teach  all  na- 
tions.'' I  find  no  trace  here  of  the  Protestant  doctrine, 
that  ministers  receive  their  authority  from  the  Church. 
Agarin :  John  xx :  *'As  the  Father  hath  sent  me,  so,  also,  I 
send  you." 

Christ  was  sent  directly  by  the  Father :  and  He  sends 
His  Apostles  in  the   same  way.     Add  to  all  this,  that  the 


OZ  ALETHAURION. 

Church  did  not  begin  to  exist,  in  a  formal  manner,  until  no 
the  day  of  Pentecost.  How,  then,  could  the  Apostles  have 
received  their  authority  from  it ;  when  as  yet  it  had  no  ex- 
istence? 

Now,  if  the  power  had  been  given  to  the  Church,  to  be 
transmitted  to  the  minister,  as  the  Protestant  principle 
reads,  every  one  must  see  that  the  Apostles,  before  begin- 
ning to  preach  and  to  administer  the  sacraments,  ought  to 
have  asked  for,  and  waited  until  they  had  received,  the  per- 
mission and  authority  of  the  Church.  But  they  neither 
did  so,  nor  was  such  a  thing  thought  of  in  those  days. 
The  faithful  looked  to  them  for  instruction  and  guidance, 
instead  of  presuming  to  give  it. 

To  these  texts  of  scripture  that  we  have  given,  many  oth- 
ers might  be  added,  if  necessary,  in  support  of  the  Catholic 
principle ;  that  the  minister  has  his  authority,  not  from 
God,  through  the  people,  but  from  Him  directly.  We  do 
not  mean,  however,  to  assert  that  each  one  receives  the 
right  to  teach  and  administer  the  sacraments  immediately 
from  GoD,^  as  Quakers  do ;  who  quake  and  dance  only  as 
they  are  moved  by  the  spirit. 

By  the  word  directly,  we  wish  it  understood  that  the  power 
is  given  by  God  to  the  individual,  and  by  him  to  another  in- 
dividual and  so  on  in  direct  line  always  through  the  individual. 
It  is  not  diffused  among  the  members  of  the  Church,  and 
concentrated  in  one  man  as  occasion  requires,  by  means  of 
an  election. 

In  the  next  chapter  we  will  state  more  fully  how  the  body 
of  the  Church  is  organized,  and  will  answer  the  objections 
that  may  be  raised  against  all  we  have  said  in  the  present. 


ALETHAURION.  33 


CHAPTER  VI. 


THE    HIERARCHY. 

We  have  shown  that  the  body  of  the  Church  is  made  up 
of  two  parts,  by  divme  right,  distinct,  viz  :  Of  the  hierarchy 
consisting  of  bishops,  priests  and  deacons,  and  of  the  laity. 
A  Tvord  about  these  terms  before  proceeding  any  further. 

By  the  hierarchy ^  most  persons  suppose  the  bishops  only 
are  meant.  This  idea,  which  is  incorrect,  no  doubt  has  its 
origin  in  confounding  the  first  two  syllables  of  the  term, 
with  the  word  higher.  All  Catholics  understand  that  the 
office  of  bishop  is  of  more  exalted  grade  than  that  of  priest 
or  deacon  ;  hence  the  tendency,  because  of  the  sound,  to  call 
the  assembly  of  bishops  the  hierarchy.  As  to  the  priests 
and  deacons,  the  majority  take  as  granted  that  there  is  no 
word  as  yet  invented  for  them  ;  though  loiverarchy  would 
appear  the  most  suitable,  if  it  could  only  be  brought  into 
general  use. 

Such  popular  notions  of  higher  and  lower  archies  rest  on  a 
false  assumption  ;  and,  are  not  only  inaccurate,  but  directly 
contrary  to  an  article  of  faith,  defined  in  the  Council  of 
Trent,  Sess.  xxiii,  can.  vi.,  in  which  the  hierarchy  is  made 
to  consist  of  bishops,  priests  and  deacons  or  ministers. 

The  word  is  a  compound,  and  of  Greek  origin,  being 
made  up  of  hieros,  sacred,  and  archia,  authority.  Hence,  it 
expresses  well  that  portion  of  the  Church  militant,  whose 
right  to  command  is  sacred,  because  of  divine  institution.  It 
will  now  be  readily  observed,  that  the  antithesis  lies,  not 
between  the  ideas  of  higher  and  lower,  but  between  those  of 
sacred  and  profane. 

The  term  bishop,  as  applied  to  an  officer  in  the  Church, 
is  one  whose  meaning  all  understand.  It  comes  from  the 
Greek  episJcopos,  an  overseer.     Few  would   recognize  the 


34  ALETHAURION. 

original  in  its  English  dress,  for  words,  like  battalions  of 
soldiers,  are  changed  mightily  by  a  long  term  of  service. 
So,  at  least,  it  has  happened  to  that  of  which  we  are  speak- 
ing ;  it  has  lost  a  third  of  its  letters,  and  half  of  its  syllables. 

The  word  is  employed  once  in  the  Old  Testament,  ii.  Es- 
dras,  xi,  22.  The  officer  spoken  of  there,  though  called  a 
bishop,  is  of  course,  different  from  one  in  our  sense.  In 
the  New  Testament  it  occurs  five  times  ;  used  in  each  case  as 
at  present. 

Priest,  as  the  name  of  the  officer,  by  divine  appointment, 
next  to  a  bishop,  is  also  of  Helenic  origin  ;  but,  like  Hec- 
tor's ghost,  so  changed,  that  but  few  would  recognize  in  it 
now,  the  long  and  sonorous  presbytey^os  of  the  ancient  Greek. 
Yet  such  is  the  case.  The  Roman  was  first,  this  time,  in 
the  work  of  mutilation.  He  took  off  the  final  syllable,  and 
made  it  presbyter.  The  Frenchman  took  away  another,  and 
shuffled  what  was  left  into  pretre.  John  Bull  staggered 
up,  with  too  much  brown  stout  in  him  to  get  more  than  one 
syllable  out,  and  so  the  word  presbyteros,  an  elder,  has 
become  shortened  into  priest.  Presbyter,  or  priest,  occurs 
six  times  in  the  New  Testament,  and  is  in  all  cases,  applied 
to  certain  officers  in  the  Church. 

Some  of  the  sectarians  call  their  preachers  elders y  mean- 
ing thereby  to  be  exceedingly  scriptural.  We  have  all, 
however,  long  since  learned  that  a  walnut  cannot  be  changed 
into  an  orange  by  calling  it  so.  Neither  will  calling  Pro- 
testant preachers  elders  make  them  so,  in  the  scriptural 
meaning  of  that  word.  It  is  required  that  some  one,  who 
has  authority,  should  first  impose  hands  on  them,  and  grant 
certain  powers,  before  we  can  allow  those  preachers  to  take 
seats  among  the  old  folks  in  the  Church  of  God. 

This  same  word,  presbyter,  or  elder,  has  also  afforded  a 
base  of  operations  to  those  who  deny  that  there  is  offered 
in  the  mass  a  real  and  true  sacrifice.  The  word  'iereus, 
say  they,  which  means  a  sacrificing  priest,  is  nowhere 
applied  in  the  New  Testament  to  the  ministers  of  religion. 


ALETHAURION.  35 

If,  as  Catholics  maintain,  there  is  offered  to  God,  in  the 
Mass,  a  real  sacrifice,  then  the  word  'iereis,  and  not  pres- 
huteroi,  would  have  been  used  by  the  Evangelists. 

We  reply,  the  Apostles  and  Evangelists  knew  pretty  well 
what  they  were  about,  whether  they  spake  or  wrote  ;  neither 
did  they  ask  for,  nor  require,  the  aid  of  heretics  to  enable 
them  to  make  a  proper  selection  of  words.  In  fact,  if  we 
look  well  into  the  circumstances  of  the  case,  we  will  see  the 
wisdom  displayed  in  using  the  word  elder  or  presbyter,  for, 
if  the  term  ^iereus,  or  sacrificing  priest,  had  been  taken,  the 
oflacers  of  the  new  Church  might,  in  the  vulgar  mind,  be 
confounded  with  the  Jewish  priests,  who  offered  bloody 
sacrifices  in  Jerusalem,  or  with  the  pagan,  who  were  to  be 
found  in  all  the  principal  cities  thoughout  the  Roman 
Empire. 

Furthermore,  it  is  false  that  the  term  Hereus  is  never 
applied  in  the  Scriptures  to  the  officers  of  the  Church  of 
Christ.  In  Chapter  v.  of  Revelations,  as  may  be  seen  by 
consulting  the  original,  that  those  four  and  twenty  elders, 
who,  in  verse  8th,  are  called  preshuteorij  in  verse  10th 
receive  the  appellation  of  '^ere^s,  sacrificing  priests. 

Of  deacons,  mention  is  made  only  three  times  in  the  New 
Testament.  But,  in  Chapter  vi.  of  Acts,  we  have  a  cir- 
cumstantial account  of  their  election,  and  of  the  duties  they 
were  required  to  perform.  These  three  grades  of  officers, 
taken  along  with  the  laity,  or  people,  constitute  the  body  of 
the  Church.  We  have  intentionally  erased  from  our  list  all 
cardinals,  patriarchs,  archbishops,  archpriests,  archdeacons, 
and  such  like,  for  these  titles  are  of  human  origin. 

Kow  that  we  have  taken  a  view  of  the  body  of  the  true 
Church,  and  gained  some  idea  of  how  it  is  organized,  let  us 
pass  beyond  the  walls,  and  pay  a  visit  to  the  outsiders. 

Dean  Swift,  and  before  him,  Erasmus,  said  that  when 
the  Pope  weeds  his  garden,  he  throws  what  he  has  plucked 
up  over  the  fence.     By  outsiders  we  mean  such  weeds.     We 


36  ALETHAUEION . 

may  divide  them  into  two  principal  classes,  schismatics  the 
one,  and  heretics  the  other. 

A  schismatic  is  a  man  who,  while  retaining,  in  great  part, 
and  believing  what  the  Church  teaches,  resists,  neverthe- 
less, the  authority  of  the  chief  bishop.  In  other  words,  he 
is  a  man  that  aims  at  dividing  the  Church. 

A  heretic  chooses  for  himself  w^hat  he  wishes  to  believe 
of  all  that  God  has  revealed,  and  resists  authority,  along 
with  assuming,  impiously,  the  liberty  to  discriminate. 

Thus  it  will  be  seen  that  a  heretic  is  much  lower  in  grade 
than  a  schismatic.  But,  as  Shakspeare  says  of  rotten 
apples,  there  is  small  choice  between  them. 

Of  those  called  schismatics,  we  do  not  wish  to  speak  at 
any  length  in  the  present  chapter,  for,  though  they  refuse  to 
acknowledge  the  Pope's  jurisdiction,  still,  in  other  respects, 
their  Church  organization  does  not  differ  from  ours. 

Of  heretics,  properly  so  called,  we  make  exception  of  the 
Anglicans  also.  They  keep  up,  at  least,  the  appearance  of 
Apostolic  succession.  Hence  Dryden  has  said  of  the  An- 
glican Church,  that  it  is  ''the  least  deformed^  because  the 
least  reformed.  ' 

Our  business  is  with  the  Lutherans  and  Calvinists,  and 
their  imitators  of  lesser  notoriety.  Now,  it  is  amusing  to 
read  the  cock  and  bull  story,  given  us  by  Mosheim,  of  how 
the  ecclesiastical  hierarchy  began  and  progressed.  In  part 
ii,  chapter  v,  of  his  Church  History,  this  great  light  of 
Lutheranism  says,  that,  in  the  first  century,  and  from  the 
time  of  the  Apostles,  the  government  of  the  Church  was 
purely  democratic,  the  entire  authority  having  been  in  the 
hands  of  the  people ;  there  were,  according  to  him,  no 
bishops,  superior  to  the  elders  or  priests,  in  each  Church. 

We  refuted  one  part  of  this  statement  in  the  last  chapter, 
by  showing  that  Christ  gave  the  power  directly  to  the  pastors 
and  not  to  the  people.  As  to  there  having  been  no  bishops, 
superior   to  the   elders,  in  each   Church  :  if  our  great  light 


ALETHAURION.  37 

had  read   over  carefully,  i  Timothy  v,  19    he  would  never 
have  made  so  groundless  an  assertion. 

In  the  scripture  we  allude  to,  St.  Paul  addressing' Timothy, 
whom  he  had  made  bishop  of  Ephesus,  says  to  him,  **and 
against  a  priest,  receive  not  an  accusation,  but  under  two  or 
three  witnesses." 

If  he  who  has  the  right  to  examine  witnesses,  and  judge 
the  conduct  of  elders,  be  not  the  superior  in  office,  then  we 
confess  inability  to  imagine  in  what  official  superiority  can 
consist.  Our  great  light  goes  on  to  say,  in  the  same  work, 
i  Gen.  i  part  chapter  2,  that,  about  the  middle  of  the  second 
century,  the  councils  changed  entirely  the  face  of  the 
Church ;  diminished  the  privileges  of  the  people,  and 
increased  the  authority  of  the  bishops. 

The  latter,  says  Mosheim,  now  assumed  the  right  to  ma^e 
laws  without  consulting  the  people.  These  pretensions 
were  greatly  increased  in  the  third  century,  when  the  bish- 
ops took  away  a  good  deal  of  the  power  which  the  priests 
or  elders  in  the  Churches  had  possessed.  He  regards  St. 
Cyprian,  bishop  of  Carthage,  as  the  principal  author  of 
these  changes. 

Now,  if  MosHEiM  had  brought  forward  proofs  to  sustain 
his  position,  he  might  deserve  some  attention  ;  but  when  he 
gives  his  word  only,  we  can  VQ^\y  ^Hestimonium  unius,  tes- 
timonium nuUius,''  the  testimony  of  one,  the  testimony  of 
none. 

We  may  ask,  however,  before  dismissing  him,  what  about 
the  promise  made  by  Christ  to  the  Apostles,  and  their  suc- 
cessors, that  He  would  be  with  them  even  until  the  consum- 
mation of  ages  ?  We  are  inclined  to  think  that  promise 
must  have  failed,  if  Mosheim's  testimony  be  true. 

We  would  like  to  know  hovrthe  bishops  of  Asia,  of  Syria, 
of  Egypt,  of  the  coasts  of  Africa,  of  Italy,  could  all  have 
conspired  to  change  the  government  established  by  the 
Apostles?  Let  MosHEOi,  or  anyone  who  believes  as  he, 
tell  us  how  it  happens  that  the  government  in  all  those 


88  ALETHAURION. 

ancient  Churches  is  episcopal;  in  no  essential  manner  dif- 
ferent from  what  it  is  in  the  Catholic  Church  of  these  Uni- 
ted States. 

Certainly  the  bishops  of  one  and  all  those  different 
Churches  could  not  have  been  ambitious,  nor  is  it  reasona- 
ble to  think  that  the  people  everywhere  would  have  suffered 
with  docility  to  be  deprived  of  rights  and  powers  inherited 
from  their  ancestors  in  the  faith. 

When  our  friends,  who  so  much  dislike  episcopal  rule, 
give  us  satisfactory  answers  to  these  few  questions,  we  will 
then  bring  up  positive  proofs  from  the  writings  of  St. 
Cleivient,  St.  Ignatius  and  others  who  lived  before  the  end 
of  the  first  century,  showing  that  in  their  day,  the  govern- 
ment of  the  Church  did  not  differ  from  what  we  find  it  in 
ours. 

The  Presbyterians  and  Lutherans  cannot  bear  the  idea  of 
a  hierarchy,  and  yet,  in  practice,  they  each  have  one. 
Among  the  Presbyterians  of  Scotland,  e.  g.\  each  minister 
has  under  his  control  the  elders  of  his  Church.  Twenty- 
four  ministers  form  a  presbytery  or  synod,  at  whose  head 
there  is  a  president.  This  president  has  a  right  to  visit  the 
parishes,  admit  aspirants  to  the  ministry,  suspend  ministers, 
excommunicate,  and  decide  upon  all  Church  affairs. 

It  is  about  the  same  amonsj  the  Lutherans  ;  the  onlv^  dif- 
ference  is  that,  instead  of  calling  their  chief  man  a  presi- 
dent, they  dub  him  superintendent.  In  this  country  all  the 
Protestant  Churches,  with  the  exception  of  the  Episcopal 
and  Methodist  sects,  follow  the  Lutheran  and  Calvinistic 
system  of  Church  government,  sometimes  modified  in  par- 
ticular cases. 

They  elect  their  officers  and  pretend  to  have  scriptural 
precedent  in  the  election  of  the  seven  deacons  spoken  of  in 
Acts  vi.  But  they  ought  to  know  that,  though  the  deacons 
were  elected  by  the  people,  they  had  to  be  ordained  l)y  the 
Apostles.     The  people  may  render  testimony  to   a  man's 


ALETHAUKION.  39 

fitness ;  but  ouly  those  who  are  successors  of  the  Apostles 
can  ordain  him. 

In  the  next  chapter  we  will  consider  more  fully  the  case 
mentioned  in  Acts  vi,  of  the  election  of  the  seven  deacons, 
and  attempt  to  define  what  the  rights  of  the  people  may  be 
on  the  subject  under  consideration. 


CHAPTER    VII. 


THE   SEVEN   DEACONS. 

We  read  in  chap,  vi  of  Acts,  that  when  the  number  of  the 
faithful  had  greatly  increased  in  Jerusalem,  there  arose  at 
the  same  time  certain  jealousies  among  them.  The  Apostles 
were  far  from  approving  of  such,  but  they  sought  to  remedy 
the  evil  by  mild  means,  instead  of  rebuking  the  principal 
actors.  To  understand  the  disagreement,  it  must  be  borne 
in  mind  that,  in  those  days  all  things  were  in  common  among 
the  faithful.  When  one,  possessed  of  wealth,  had  embraced 
Christianity,  he  sold  his  worldly  goods  and  gave  the  proceeds 
to  be  used  in  supplying  the  wants  of  all  indiscriminately. 

At  the  time,  not  only  a  multitude  of  Jews,  but  also  many 
Grecians  had  professed  belief  in  Christ,  and,  it  was  from 
the  latter  came  the  trouble  that  occasioned  the  election  and 
ordination  of  the  seven  deacons.  The  Grecians  thought  that 
more  attention  had  been  paid  to  the  wants  of  the  Jewish  or- 
phans and  widows  than  to  their  own. 

So,  when  the  Apostles  became  aware  that  there  was  mur- 
muring, they  sought  to  remedy  the  evil  at  once.  The  multi- 
tude having  been  called  together,  they  explained,  that  the 
preaching  of  the  word  and  the  administration  of  the  sacra- 
ments, being  of  the  first  importance,  they  had  not  time  to 
give  special  attention  to  the  public  tables. 

At  their  request,  the  assembly  chose  out  seven,  who  were 
to  attend  to  this  business,  and  see  that  an  impartial  use  was 


40  ALETHAURION. 

made  of  the  public  money.  Their  names  were  Stephen, 
Philip,  Prochoras,  Nicaxor,  Timox,  Parmexas  and  Nich- 
OLAUS.  These  have  Greek  names,  and  we  suspect  that  most 
of  them  were  of  the  same  oris^in. 

In  this  truly  apostolic  way  was  the  danger  of  schism 
averted,  and  peace  again  restored.  Such  is  the  account 
given  in  Acts  vi,  of  the  election  of  the  seven  deacons. 

Now,  in  previous  chapters,  we  mentioned  that  in  our  own 
country  most  of  the  sectarian  Churches  elect  their  officers, 
and  hold  the  principle  that  all  power  is  vested  in  the  people. 
In  support  of  these  views,  they  point  to  the  election  spoken 
of. 

Before  we  are  through,  we  hope  to  make  it  appear  that 
neither  from  this,  nor  any  other  portion  of  scripture,  can  it 
be.  proved  that  the  right  of  electing  Church  officers  is  essen- 
tially and  by  divine  right  vested  in  the  people.  And,  fur- 
thermore, that  something  else  is  required  besides  election, 
before  one  can  be  rightly  called  a  minister  of  the  Church  of 
Christ. 

As  but  few,  if  any,  of  the  sects  have  a  well  defined  system 
of  theology,  we  shall  not  waste  time  nor  ink  in  attempting 
to  condense  into  a  tantJ^ible  form  their  vacrue  theories  and 
practices  in  the  election  and  inauguration  of  ministers. 

When  we  have  defined  what  the  rights  of  the  people  are, 
according  to  the  scriptures  and  fathers  of  the  Church,  the 
reader  will  then  have  a  rule  by  which  to  measure  the  merits 
of  any  particular  case  to  which  his  attention  may  be  called. 

We  may  state  our  position*  in  the  following  words  :  From 
the  election  of  the  seven  deacons,  it  may  be  inferred  that  the 
people  have  the  right  to  nominate  candidates  for  sacred  orders, 
and  render  testimony  concerning  their  merits  at  ordination. 
This  is  the  first  part.  Its  truth  will  become  evident  by 
even  a  cursory  glance  at  the  scripture  of  which  we  are  speak- 
ing. But  if  any  further  proofs  be  needed,  they  may  be 
found  in  the  writings  of  the   Fathers,  which  show  that  the 


ALETHAURION.  41 

rights  spoken  of,  on  the  part  of  the  people,  were  freely  ex- 
ercised in  the  primitive  ages  ;  as  they  also  are  at  the  present 
day,  though,  in  a  manner  to  correspond  with  the  diversity 
of  circumstances. 

Clement,  third  Pope  after  St.  Peter,  in  his  letter  to  the 
Corinthians,  writes  as  follows  : 

•*  The  Apostles,  through  Jesus  Christ,  knew  the  contentions  there 
would  be  on  the  score  of  election  to  bishoprics.  For  this  reason,  being 
possessed  of  perfect  fore -knowledge,  they  ordained  bishops,  and  then 
gave  form  by  wliich  they  (the  bishops)  being  called  away  by  death, 
others  of  approved  lives,  might  succeed  to  their  ministry;  the  entire 
Church  testifying  its  pleasure."  , 

From  these  words  we  gather,  that  it  was  by  the  judgment 
and  choice  of  the  Apostles  bishops  were  first  constituted  ; 
and  after  them,  only  such  were  to  be  raised  to  the  dignity 
who  had  good  testimony  with  the  people. 

Cyprian,  bishop  of  Carthage,  epistle  69,  uses  the  follow- 
ing pointed  language  on  the  same  subject  : 

••'  For  which  reason  the  people,  obeying  the  precepts  of  the  Lord,  and 
fearing  God,  ought  to  separate  themselves  from  a  sinful  prelate,  and  take 
no  part  in  the  sacrifice  of  a  sacrilegious  priest ;  since  they  have  the  power 
of  choosing  u'orthy  priests^  and  of  refusing  umcorthy  ones.'''' 

From  these  words  we  see  the  right  of  the  people  to  re- 
ject unworthy  and  select  worthy  ministers,  was  fully 
acknowledged  in  the  third  century,  and  by  the  great  saint 
and  martyr,  Cyprian. 

The  Catholics  of  Germany  have  lately  exercised  the  same 
rights  in  the  case  of  Dolinger,  Reinkins,  and  others,  who 
proved  themselves  undeserving  of  confidence. 

We  have  said  that  the  voice  of  the  people  is  taken  into 
consideration  in  ours,  as  in  ancient  times.  This  is  truly  the 
case,  but  it  is  done  in  a  manner  to  correspond  with  present 
circumstances.     Let  us  take  a  few  examples. 

The  Pope  is  elected  by  the  cardinals,  who  represent  the 
people  of  Eome,  each  cardinal  being  the  titular  head  of  one 
of  ancient  parish  Churches  of  the  city.  Hence,  he  votes  for 
the  Pope  in  the  name  of  the  people,  just  as  a  member  of  the 
legislature  votes  for  United  States  Senator. 


A2  ALETHAUEION. 

Bishops,  according  to  the  canon  law,  are  elected  by  the 
cathedral  chapter,  composed,  in  great  part,  of  the  parish 
priests  of  the  diocese.  These  are  presumed  to  know  the 
wishes  of  the  people  and  vote  accordingly.  When  a  person 
is  about  to  be  ordained  priest,  there  is  one  present  who  an- 
swers, in  the  name  of  the  people,  that  the  candidate  is 
worthy. 

We  have  now  stated  the  rights  of  the  people,  regarding 
the  election  and  ordination  of  ministers; 

Secular  princes,  being  at  the  head  of  the  nation,  sometimes 
ambitiously  claim  the  right  of  speaking  in  its  name,  and  of 
accepting  or  rejecting  prelates  appointed  by  the  Holy  See. 
This  is  what  Bis3IAECK  and  Victor  Emmanuel  are  trying  to 
do.  We  shall  not  wait  to  discuss  the  question,  whether  the 
wishes  of  these  gentlemen  can  be  said  to  represent  those  of 
•the  Catholic  people  over  whom  they  rule.  We  go  deeper, 
and  establish  a  principle  that  will  at  once  draw  the  prop  from 
their  pretensions. 

The  people  themselves  do  not  possess  by  divine  right, 
but  only  by  apostolic  concession,  the  privilege  of  proposing 
candidates  for  orders,  and  of  rejecting  ministers  whom  they 
do  not  like.  The  truth  of  this  proposition  will  be  evident 
from  the  following  considerations:  **Letno  man,"  says 
St.  Paul,  speaking  of  ministers,  **take  to  himself  this 
honor,  but  he  who  is  called  of  God,  as  Aaron  was." — 
[Heb.  v. 

Now,  Aaron  was  chosen  by  Moses  alone,  without  the 
counsel  or  assent  of  the  people.  Christ  sent  His  Apostles 
without  consulting  the  people.  Paul  made  bishops  of  both 
Titu^  and  Timothy,  without  having  asked  the  consent  of 
the  people.  Hence,  if  the  voice  of  the  people  be  essential, 
that  is,  of  divine  right,  in  the  election  of  ministers,  Paul 
would  have  gone  beyond  his  powers,  which  no  sane  Chris- 
tian man  will  affirm. 

Furthermore,  in  Acts  vi.  we  see  a  concession,  on  the  part 
of  the  Apostles,   not  the "  acknowledgment    of    a    right. 


ALETHAUKION.  43 

"Therefore,  brethren,"  said  they,  **look  ye  out  among  you 
seven  men  of  good  reputation,  whom  we  may  appoint,'^ 
The  Apostles  did  .the  appointing  and  laying  on  of  handSy 
without  which  those  elected  by  the  people  would  have  had 
no  powers. 

From  all  this  we  may  infer  that  the  rights  spoken  of  are 
not  inherent  in  the  people,  but  are  concessions  of  the 
Church  to  avert  schism.  Let  us,  also,  in  conclusion,  reflect 
on  the  hollo wness  of  sectarian  pretension. 

They  may,  indeed,  elect  their  officers,  but  have  no  one 
with  authority  to  ratify  the  election,  and  give  the  chosen 
ones  the  power  required  for  the  office.  This  can  only  be 
done  where  there  is  a  line  of  bishops  coming  down  from 
the  Apostles.  If  one  link  of  the  chain  were  broken,  the 
whole  world  could  not  mend  it.  How  futile,  then,  are  the 
pretensions  of  sectarian  ministers  to  pastoral  authority,  who 
do  not  possess  a  link  at  all  of  that  golden  chain  that  con- 
nects the  Church  of  to-day  with  that  of  the  Apostles,  the 
Church  of  the  Apostles  with  Christ,  and,  through  Him, 
unites  the  whole  to  the  throne  of  the  living  and  eternal 
God,  from  whom  all  righteous  authority  emanates. 

In  the  next,  we  will  tell  how  to  find  the  Church  that  has 
the  Apostolic  succession. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 


HOW  TO  FH^D  THE  TRUE  CHURCH. 

We  have  at  the  present  day,  and  have  had  from  Apostolic 
times,  various  Christian  denominations.  Each  pretends  to 
be  the  true  Church,  and  maintains  that  all  the  others  are  so 
many  synagogues  of  Satan.  Such  being  the  state  of  affairs, 
all,  we  think,  will  see  at  a  glance  the  necessity  of  certain 
marks  by  which  to  distinguish  the  Church  of  Christ  from 
all   others.     Each  farmer  or  trader  has   some   particular 


44  ALETHAURION. 

brand  by  which  he  knows  his  stock  among  those  of  other 
people.  If  he  had  not,  in  case  one  strayed,  he  would  search 
for  it  in  vain. 

It  is  thus,  too,  in  regard  to  Church  organizations.  There 
are  so  many  that,  before  beginning  search  for  the  true  one, 
we  must  determine  if  it  has  any  peculiar  marks,  and,  in  case 
it  has,  what  these  are. 

Now,  God  requires  impossibilities  of  no  man ;  hence, 
when  He  imposed  the  obligation  of  belonging  to  the  true 
fold.  He  also  arranged  things  that  any  one  who  seriously 
inquires  may  easily  find  it.  He  has  impressed  upon  it  cer- 
tain characters  or  marks  Which  belong  to  it  and  to  no  other. 
These  are  unity,  holiness,  universality  and  apostolicity . 

At  present,  we  will  confine  our  remarks  to  the  first  on 
the  list.  Unity  is  an  essential  feature  of  the  Church  of 
Christ.  The  reader  may  wish  to  know  what  we  mean  by 
the  expression.  An  essential  property  is  that  by  which  a 
thing  is  what  it  is,  or  that,  which  being  taken  away,  the 
thing  can  no  longer  be  conceived. 

Thus,  it  is  essential  to  a  circle,  that  each  and  every  point 
of  the  circumference  be  equally  distant  from  the  center. 
Any  figure,  no  matter  how  round  it  may  appear  to  us,  is  not 
a  circle,  unless  it  has  the  property  we  allude  to. 

So,  when  we  say  that  unity  is  an  essential  feature  of  the 
Church  of  Christ,  we  mean  that,  without  it,  you  can  no 
more  have  a  true  Church  than  you  can  have  a  square  circle. 
The  unity  we  speak  of  is  of  two  kinds  :  Unity  in  subsisting, 
and  unity  in  teaching. 

It  will  now  be  in  order  to  show,  from  the  Saviour's  words, 
that  the  Church  is  one  in  its  mode  of  subsisting.  Our  scrip- 
tural texts  are  ready  and  at  hand.  In  Matthew  xiii,  47,  the 
Church  is  called  a  kingdom.  Luke  xiv,  23,  it  is  called,  by 
similitude,  a  house.  John  x,  16,  it  is  styled  a  sheep/old. 
The  singular  number  is  always  employed   in  speaking  of  it. 

Now,  let  us  bear  in  mind  that  the  Saviour  came  from 
heaven,  not  only  to  redeem  us,  but  also  to  teach  the  human 

O 


ALETHAURION.  45 

race,  by  example  and  by  word.  No  expression  of  His  was 
superfluous  ;  no  similitude  inappropriate.  In  fact,  just  as 
the  microscope  reveals  wonderful  perfections,  even  in  the 
smallest  works  of  God,  so  will  a  little  reflection  show  the 
great  wisdom  displayed  by  the  Saviour  in  the  similitudes  He 
employed. 

Take  the  expressions,  kingdom^  house,  sheepfold.  Why 
use  these  in  connection  with  the  Church  ?  Was  it  by  chance 
that  He  took  them  from  the  scores  of  others?  Verily  not. 
Our  illustrations  are  sometimes  badly  chosen  ;  His  never,  for 
He  comprehended  the  present,  and  He  knew  all  that  was  and 
is  to  happen  until  the  end  of  time. 

Let  us  see  then,  what  there  is  remarkable  in  a  kingdom 
that  made  him  liken  His  Church  to  one.  There  is  this,  and 
it  is  worthy  of  consideration,  that  only  one  king  is  admis- 
sible at  a  time.  ''  Two  stars  keep  not  their  motions  in  the 
same  orbit,  nor  can  one  England,"  says  Shakspeare,  "brook 
the  double  rule  of  Harry  Percy  and  the  Prince  of  Wales." 

As  far  as  we  have  read  in  history,  we  have  never  yet 
learnt  the  name  of  a  kingdom  that  was  large  enough  for  two 
kings,  at  once.  Ancient  Sparta  had  something  of  the  kind, 
but,  omitting  to  mention  the  animosities  that  always  existed 
between  the  reigning  families,  we  must  remember  that 
neither  was  king  in  the  strict  sense,  for  the  sovereign  power 
was  really  in  the  hands  of  the  senate,  composed  of  twenty- 
eight  members,  and  of  the  ephori,  five  in  number.  Sparta 
was  a  republic  ;  and  the  kings  were  nothing  more  than  her- 
editary consuls,  with  far  less  power  than  those  of  Kome. 

Now,  besides  there  being  only  one  sovereign  in  every 
kingdom,  what  else  do  we  find  peculiar  in  it?  That  all  who 
hold  office  in  the  realm,  do  so,  either  directly  or  indirectly, 
by  the  king's  authority.  The  general  commands  araiies, 
the  admiral  steers  fleets,  the  judge  sits  on  the  bench,  and 
administers  justice,  all  in  the  name  of  the  sovereign. 

What  we  have  said  of  a  kingdom,  may  be  repeated  of  a 
house.     In  each  well  ordered  family,  there  is  one   head. 


46  ALETHAURION. 

whose  authority  is  above  that  of  all  others.  As  to  a  sheep- 
fold,  not  to  speak  of  the  shepherd,  it  is  a  well  known  fact  that 
in  each  flock  there  is  one  leader,  and  where  he  goes  the  rest 
follow.  This  has  been  noticed  by  almost  every  one,  and 
needs  only  to  be  alluded  to. 

From  these  similitudes,  we  see  that  the  Church  of  Christ 
must  have  unity,  must  have  some  one  at  the  head,  for  other- 
wise it  would  not  be  a  kingdom,  nor  a  house,  nor  a  sheep- 
fold. 

The  other  kind  of  unity,  which  forms  a  mark  of  the  true 
Church,  is  that  of  belief.  Christ  taught  one  system  of 
truth.  Hence,  wherever  His  followers  are,  their  belief  is 
the  same.  There  will  be  found  among  them  no  jarring 
opinions,  at  least,  on  the  score  of  religion. 

In  conclusion  we  say :  Should  these  lines  fall  into  the 
haiids  of  one  who  has  not  as  yet  embraced  Christianity,  but 
desires  to  do  so,  yet  is  uncertain,  in  the  multitude  of  con- 
flicting sects,  which  is  the  right  way ;  to  such  a  one,  we 
would  in  Christian  charity  suggest,  to  choose  that  Church 
which  has  the  mark  of  unity ^  which  is  a  house,  a  kingdom,  a 
shee/pfold,  for  it  alone  bears  upon  it  the  divine  seal,  the 
character  impressed  by  the  Saviour,  by  which  He  wishes  you 
to  know  it. 

And  should  any  member  of  an  heretical  sect  see  this,  let 
him  reflect,  and  ask  himself  the  question  :  Is  there  any  one 
in  my  Church,  who  holds  a  place  analogous  to  that  of  a  sov- 
ereign in  a  kingdom,  to  that  of  a  father  in  a  family,  to  that 
of  a  leader  in  a  flock?  If  not,  then  let  him  know  that  he  is 
in  the  wrong  fold. 

It  will  not  do  to  say  that  Christ  is  the  head  of  the 
Church,  and  that  no  other  is  necessary.  True,  He  is  its  in- 
visible head,  but  He  is  also  the  head  of  all  earthly  realms, 
King  of  Kings,  and  Lord  of  Lords.  But  who  will  on  that 
account,  say  that  earthly  sovereignty  is  an  usurpation?  The 
Church  of  Christ  on  earth,  being  a  visible  body,  must  have 
a  visible  head.     It  would  be  a  monster  if  it  had  not. 


ALETHAURION.  47 

In  the  next  we  will  show  that  the  organization  known  as 
the  Catholic  Church  has  the  unity  we  speak  of  in  its  mode  of 
subsisting. 


CHAPTER  IX. 


CATHOLIC  UNITY — SECTARIAN  DIVISIONS. 

We  saw,  in  the  last  chapter,  that  unity  is  one  of  the  marks 
by  which  the  true  Church  may  be  distinguished.  In  the 
present,  our  purpose  is  to  show  that  the  Catholic  Church, 
and  no  other,  has  impressed  upon  it,  the  mark  in  question. 
Let  us  at  once  proceed  to  the  work. 

The  Church  of  Christ  is  a  kingdom  ;  and,  in  every  king- 
*dom  there  is  one,  and  only  one  chief.  In  the  Catholic 
Church  there  is  one,  and  only  one  visible  head.  Thus  far 
the  analogy  is  perfect.  In  a  kingdom,  all  who  exercise  au- 
thority, are  appointed,  either  directly  or  indirectly,  by  the 
sovereign.  In  the  Catholic  Church  all  admit  the  Pope  to  be 
the  source  of  ecclesiastical  jurisdiction. 

Thus,  for  example,  in  the  Western  Church,  all  bishops, 
whether  elected,  according  to  canon  law,  or  appointed 
by  concession  of  the  Holy  See,  must  await  the  pope's  con- 
firmation before  assuming  direction  of  the  affairs,  whether 
temporal  or  spiritual,  within  those  dioceses  to  which  they 
have  been  elected  or  appointed. 

As  regards  the  Oriental  countries,  though  the  system  is 
somewhat  different  in  practice,  it  is  the  same  in  theory.  In 
the  East  there  are  five  patriarchs,  each  of  whom  has  the 
power  to  choose  and  consecrate  bishops,  without  consulting 
the  Pope.  Yet,  those  very  patriarchs  themselves  must,  be- 
fore assuming  authority,  get  the  consent  and  receive  the 
confirmation  of  the  Holy  See. 

We  have  now  said  enough  to  show  that  in  the  Catholic 
Church  there  is  one,  and  only  one  head.   This  is  a  point  that 


48  ALETHAURION. 

needs  no  great  marshaling  of  arguments  to  sustain  it,  for 
almost  every  one  knows  that  Catholics,  every  where,  admit 
the  Pope's  supremacy. 

Let  us  now  cast  a  glance  over  the  way  toward  the  camps 
of  **our  separated  brethren,"  as  some  good  natured  people 
call  the  heretics  of  our  times.  Let  us  observe  if  all,  or  any 
one  of  the  sects,  can  be  said  to  have  that  unity  in  subsisting, 
which  is  so  prominent  a  feature  in  the  Church  of  which  we 
are  members.  To  speak  of  the  sects  collectively  would  be 
useless,  for,  it  is  well  known,  there  is  no  man  on  earth  w^hom 
they  acknowledge  as  head. 

It  is  vain  then  to  say  that  all,  taken  together,  constitute 
the  Church  of  Christ.  They  do  not  convey  to  our  minds  the 
idea  of  a  kingdom,  and  very  far  are  they  from  giving  us 
that  of  a  house.  Each  sect  is  independent  of  all  others, 
each  congregation  perfectly  free  to  follow  its  own  fancies, 
and  each  individual,  as  occasion  requires,  will  let  it  be 
known,  that  he  too  has  a  head  of  his  own. 

Taken  collectively,  the  sects  present  a  most  deplorable 
picture  of  confusion.  One  is  pulling  in  this  way,  another  in 
that,  and,  like  a  gang  of  imperfectly  broken  oxen,  yoked 
together,  they  go  in  for  cracking  necks  without  mercy. 

As  we  fail  to  distinguish  anything  like  unity  among 
them,  taken  as  a  body,  let  us  single  out  some  one,  and  ex- 
amine its  claims.  The  organization  known  as  the  Episcopal 
Church  will  best  suit  our  purpose,  because  it  is,  compara- 
tively speaking,  the  most  perfect  of  them.  Has  the  Epis- 
copal that  unity,  which,  as  we  have  seen,  is  a  mark  of  the 
true  Church  of  Christ ?  Is  it  a  kingdom?  If  so,  who  is 
sovereign  ? 

We  know  who  is  its  head  in  Kentucky,  and  in  some  of 
the  other  States  of  this  Union.  But  that  is  not  enough  to 
give  us  the  idea  of  a  kingdom.  Who  is  head  of  the  Epis- 
copal Church  for  the  entire  world  ?  The  only  answer  to 
this  question  will  be — there  is  none.     What  follows?    That 


ALETHAUKION.  49 

in  the  most  perfect  of  all  sects  there  is  a  palpable  lack  of 
unity  in  its  mode  of  subsisting. 

Take  another  case,  or,  rather,  a  different  view  of  the 
same  one.  Consider  the  claims  of  the  Church  of  England. 
Do  we  find  unity  there?  It  must  be  confessed  we  do,  if 
not  in  the  belief  of  its  members,  at  least  in  its  mode  of 
subsisting.  The  Queen  is  the  head  of  it,  and  all  Anglican 
Bishops  hold  their  places  by  her  authority.  Each  sovereign 
of  England,  from  the  days  of  Henry  VIII.,  is  the  head  of 
the  Church  and  of  the  State.  During  the  reign  of  Eliza- 
beth the  pretensions  of  Henry  were  more  fully  carried  out. 
To  such  an  extent  was  this  the  case,  that  each  Bishop 
within  the  realm  who  wished  to  retain  his  See  was  obliged 
take  the  following  oath  : 

*'  I  declare,  in  conscience,  that  the  Queen  is  the  sole,  supreme  govern- 
ess of  the  Kingdom  of  England,  not  less  in  spiritual  matters  than  in  tem- 
poral, and  that  no  foreign  prelate  or  prince  has  any  ecclesiastical  au- 
thority in  the  kingdom.  Hence,  I  altogether  renounce  all  foreign 
powers." 

By  this  declaration,  it  will  be  observed,  that  the  sovereign 
of  England  is  acknowledged  the  head  of  the  Church. 
Hence,  to  outward  appearance,  there  is  as  much  unity  in 
the  Church  as  by  law  established  in  the  British  dominions 
as  there  is  in  ours.  But  is  this  unity  of  the  risrht  kind?  Is 
it  such  as  Christ  established?  We  think  not,  and,  in  sup- 
port of  our  opinion,  we  would  call  attention  .to  Matthew 
xvi.,  where  the  Saviour  says  to  one  of  His  Apostles  : 

"Thou  art  Peter,  and  upon  this  rock  I  will  build  my  Church,  and  the 
gates  of  hell  £hall  not  prevail  against  it." 

From  this  passage  alone,  not  to  speak  of  what  is  said  in 
John  xxi.,  we  see  that  Peter  was  made  the  earthly  head  of 
the  Church,  and  men,  after  having  once  sworn  allegiance 
to  Christ,  were  bound  in  conscience  not  to  break  off  com- 
munion with  His  vicar 

We  would  like  to  know  if  Victoria  is  the  successor  in 
office  of  St.  Peter.  If  so,  we  have  never  seen  any  proof 
of  the  fact,  nor  any  attempt  at  it. 


50  AT.ETHAURION. 

Does  she  pretend  to  be  the  head  of  Christ*s  Church  hi 
such  a  manner  that  all  who  refuse  to  obey  her  in  spiritual 
things  commit  a  sin?  We  think  not ;  it  would  be  folly  on 
her  part  to  make  such  iwetensions.  For,  who  has  given 
her  the  right  to  command  in  the  Church  of  God?  Cer- 
tainly it  was  not  the  Saviour,  for  the  kings  and  queens 
of  England  were  not  dreamt  of  when  the  Church  was 
first  founded.  She  has,  therefore,  no  divine  right  to  com- 
mand, and,  by  consequence,  no  one  is  bound  in  con- 
science to  obey  her  in  spiritual  things.  For,  when  God 
gives  not  the  right  to  command,  he  does  not  impose  the 
obligation  to  obey.  Moreover,  Christ  intended  that  His 
Gospel  should  be  preached  over  the  entire  world,  and  as 
a  consequence  that  His  Church  should  have  equal  exten- 
sion. Hence,  if  the  Queen  of  England  is  the  head  of  the 
Church  of  Christ,  at  all,  she  must  be  so  everywhere.  But, 
how  heartily  Bishop  S^iith,  of  this  State,  would  laugh  if 
Victoria  should  send  him  a   letter  informinsr   him  that   he 

o 

was  suspended  from  office,  and  that  she  had  in  her  apostolic 
solicitude,  appointed  another  in  his  stead.  The  head  of  the 
Church  would  be  apt  to  get  a  back  answer. 

Thus,  we  have  taken  the  most  perfect  of  all  the  sects  and 
have  searched  it  for  unity  in  vain.  We  only  found  a  coun- 
terfeit, that  even  a  child  may  detect.  Of  the  small  sects, 
scattered  throughout  the  country,  we  do  not  think  it  worth 
while  to  speak.  They  are  like  fishing  worms — the  heads  and 
tails  are  all  alike. 

In  our  next  we  will  take  up  the  question  of  unity  in  belief, 
and  show  that,  in  the  Catholic  Church,  the  faithful  be- 
lieve not  only  alike,  but  that  it  is  impossible  there  should 
be  differences  of  opinion,  on  any  question  essential  to  man's 
salvation,  among  them. 


ALETHAURION.  51 


CHAPTER  X 


ALL  CATHOLICS  BELIEVE  ALIKE. 

That  unity  of  belief  amongst  its  members  is  a  mark  of  the 
true  Church  few  reflecting  persons  will  deny.  The  Saviour 
taught  one,  and  only  one,  religious  system,  and  wished  his 
followers  to  believe  each  and  every  article  of  it.  All  who 
embrace  this  system  believe  alike,  because  truth  is  every- 
where consistent  with  itself.  If  there  were  a  di:fference,  it 
would  result  from  the  fact  that  ane  or  the  other  believed 
less  or  more  than  the  Saviour  taught. 

We  may  then  say  with  truth,  that  even  a  general  knowl- 
edge of  who  Christ  was,  and  what  He  came  on  earth  to  ac- 
complish, would,  of  itself,  convince  us  that  the  belief  of  His 
followers  must  be  one  and  the  same.  What  right  reason 
may  gather  from  the  consideration  of  a  few  general  princi- 
ples, revelation  renders  yet  more  clear.  Let  one  passage, 
with  a  short  explanation  of  it,  suffice :  Eph.  iv.  5.  Paul, 
exhorting  the  faithJ^ul  to  continue  in  unity,  makes  use  of 
these  expressive  words : 

"One  Lord,  one  faith,  one  baptism." 

To  understand  more  fully  the  force  of  this  saying  of  the 
great  Apostle,  we  must  bear  in  mind  that  the  word  faith  has 
a  triple  meaning.  By  attending  to  this,  we  may  avoid  con- 
fusion of  thought,  and  set  to  right  expressions  we  fre- 
quently hear  use  made  of  by  heretics.  The  latter  speaking 
of  faith,  often  mean  by  it,  nothing  more  than  a  certain  con- 
fidence in  the  Saviour's  merits.  This  corresponds  exactly 
with  what  we  mean  by  presumption ^  as  used  in  the  cate- 
chism. 

The  writer  has  often  heard  the  expression,  **  he  died  with 
great  faith  in  Jesus,*'  in  connection  with  the  name  of  some 
hardened  old  sinner,  who  after  having  spent  nearly  his  whole 
life  in  the   service   of  the   Devil,  and   well  feathered  his 


52  ALETHAURION. 

earthly  nest  with  illicit  gain,  at  last  joined  some  sectarian 
conventicle,  in  order  to  ease  his  conscience,  or  else,  may  be, 
to  die  in  the  fashion.  By  joining  the  Church,  such  old 
hypocrites  imagine  that  Jesus  takes  upon  His  own  shoulders 
all  their  iniquities,  and  squares  their  debt  at  a  blow — so  glad 
is  He  to  get  hold  of  so  much  respectability.  They  die, 
generally,  **  with  great  faith  in  Jesus,"  which  means  in 
simple  terms,  that  they  pass  out  of  this  world  with  a  foolish 
expectation  of  salvation,  without  making  proper  use  of  the 
means  to  obtain  it.  That  we  call,  not  faith,  but  presumption 
of  God's  mercy,  which  is  a  sin  against  the  Holy  Ghost. 

In  the  second  place,  the  word  faith  is  used  to  express  that 
divine  virtue  infused  into  our  souls,  by  which  we  believe  all 
that  God  has  revealed,  and  the  Church  proposes  for  belief. 
Finally,  faith  or  the  faith,  means  the  aggregate  of  those 
truths  taught  by  Christ  of  the  Apostles. 

Now  comes  the  question,  to  which  we  desire  to  invite 
attention.  When  Paul  says  faith  is  one:  In  which  of  the 
three  senses  does  he  use  the  word?  A  little  reflection  will 
show,  that  it  is  in  the  last.  He  mentions  it  in  connection 
with  Baptism,  and  God,  which,  to  us,  are  objective  ideas. 
The  conclusion  we  draw  is,  that,  according  to  Paul,  objec- 
tive faith  is  one,  a  unit,  cmd  all  who  belong  to  the  Church 
of  Christ  must  hold  it  as*  such.  It  will  not  do  to  say,  as 
once  did  a  sectarian  deacon  to  the  writer,  when  speaking  on 
the  subject  of  the  Real  Presence.  '*  Well,"  says  Mr. 
Deacon,  when  argument  had  failed,  *'  it  appears  to  me  that 
a  great  many  of  these  things  are  merely  matters  of  indiffer- 
ence, and  provided  one  has  faith  in  the  Lord,  I  think  he  will 
be  saved,  no  matter  what  denomination  he  may  belong  to." 

We  were  not  prepared  to  coincide  with  his  liberal  views, 
considering  what  the  Apostle  says  about  being  **  careful  to 

keep  the  unity  of  the  spirit  in  the  bond  of  peace 

till  we  all  meet  in  the  unity  of  faith,"  Eph.  iv.  3,  13.  We 
suspect  that  enough  has  been  said  to  establish  the  fact  that 
unity  of  belief,  among  the  members,  is  a  mark  of  Christ's 


ALETHAURION.  53 

Church.  We  will  next  proceed  to  investigate  which  of  the 
various  existing  denominations  has  the  unity  we  speak  of. 
Let  us  take,  at  first,  the  Catholic  Church.  Now,  as  we  can- 
not see  men's  thoughts,  we  must  judge  by  such  facts  as  are 
patent  to  all,  and  by  principles  which  are  called  a  priori  by 
logicians. 

We  see  in  these  United  States,  almost  every  day,  occur- 
rences that  might  well  open  the  eyes  of  Protestants.  When 
a  German,  a  Frenchman,  Englishman,  or  Belgian,  comes  to 
this  country,  he  does  not  find  the  Catholic  Church  different 
from  what  it  is  in  his  own.  He  finds  here  Catholics 
believing  just  the  same  as  there.  It  would  not  be  different 
were  we  of  America  to  travel  in  Europe,  Asia  or  Africa  ;  our 
religious  opinions  would  suffer  no  shock  at  hearing  them 
speak  of  the  Church. 

But,  it  is  not  alone  of  the  fact,  that  we  wish  to  speak, 
but  also  of  the  principle  on  which  it  is  based.  Catholics, 
as  long  as  they  wish  to  remain  so,  cannot  help  believing 
alike,  for,  with  us,  it  passes  for  a  principle,  that  Christ 
established  in  His  Church  a  living  teaching  authority,  ac- 
cording to  whose  lessons  must  be  squared  the  belief  of  each 
individual. 

This  authority,  of  which  the  Pope  is  chief  representative, 
is  neither  dead  nor  dunib,  but  stands  ever  ready  to  admon- 
ish and  direct  the  faithful,  and  not  alone  that,  but  to 
condemn  whatever  is  contrary  to  faith  and  morals.  Hence 
it  is  that,  in  the  Catholic  Church,  not  only  have  w^e  unity  of 
belief  among  its  members  but  also  the  principal  by  which 
it  is  maintained — authority.  We  will  next  briefly  consider 
the  question  of  unity  of  belief  outside  of  the  true  fold 

Here  also,  a  difficulty  presents  itsielf  at  the  very  threshold. 
We  cannot  take  a  heretic  in  each  hand,  and,  holding  them 
up  between  us  and  the  light,  say  this  one's  liver  is  of  a 
different  color  from  that  one's.  We  can  only  judge 
from  eternal  facts,  and  a  priori  principles,  also,  in  this 
case,  as  in  that  of  Catholics.     The  facts,  however,  are  of  a 


54  ALETHAURION. 

nature  quite  satisfactory  for  our  purpose.  We  need  not 
quote  Scripture,  nor  the  Fathers,  to  show  that  Presbyter- 
ians do  not  beheve  as  Episcopalians.  That  Methodists  and 
Campbellites  won't  agree.  That  Hardshell  and  Missionary 
Baptists  won't  pull  together.  That,  though  Quakers  may 
shake  and  Shakers  may  quake,  yet,  the  shake  of  the  Quaker 
is  not  the  shake  of  the  Shaker  nor  the  quake  of  the  Shaker 
that  of  the  Quaker. 

Now,  as  regards  the  belief  of  the  members  of  some  one 
particular  sect :  In  those  cases  where  books  on  Theology 
have  not  been  published,  it  would  be  difficult  to  show  how 
the  belief  of  one  differed  from  the  others.  But,  as  far  as 
the  old  sects  are  concerned,  the  job  has  been  done,  in  a 
masterly  manner,  by  the  illustrious  Bossuet,  in  his  work 
entitled  Variations. 

However,  should  any  Catholic  for  amusement  sake,  desire 
to  find  out  the  diversity  of  opinion  among  the  members  of 
some  of  our  modern  sects,  let  him  carry  out  the  following 
plan,  and  he  will  succeed  to  a  miracle.  Let  him,  in  his 
own  mind,  single  out  some  ten  or  a  dozen  of  the  more  in- 
telligent members  of  some  sect — let  him  then,  without 
exciting  suspicion,  ask  each  one  separately,  if  he  believes 
all  his  preacher  has  said  from  the  pulpit  for  the  last  six 
months.  We  are  greatly  mistaken,  if  nine  out  of  ten  don't 
answer  in  the  negative. 

The  experiment  is  an  amusing  one,  and  ought  to  be  tried. 
Now  the  cause  of  this  entire  lack  of  unity  in  belief  among 
Protestants,  is  the  want  of  the  principle  of  authority.  If 
we  were  to  remove  that,  even  in  the  Catholic  Church,  the 
passions  and  private  interests  of  men  would  turn  it,  also,  into 
a  babel,  as  confused  as  that  of  any  of  the  heretical  sects  of  our 
day.  According  as  each  heresiarch  broke  off  from  the  true 
Church,  he  denied  the  principle  of  a  teaching  authority ; 
and  established,  in  its  stead,  that  of  private  interpretation. 
The  consequence  has  been  deplorable,  for  we  have  now, 


ALETHAURION.  55 

outside  of  the  true  fold  almost  as  many  religions  as  there 
are  heads. 

In  the  next  we  will  consider  holiness  as  a  mark  of  the 
true  Church. 


CHAPTER  XI. 


THE  TEUE  CHURCH  IS  HOLY. 

In  Ephesians  V,  we  read,  that  Christ  suffered  and  died 
that  He  might  sanctify  His  Church  ;  and  in  the  same  epistle 
chap.  i,PAUL  says,  that  Christ  **chose  us  that  we  might 
be  holy  and  immaculate."  Furthermore,  in  his  epistle  to 
Titus,  the  same  Apostle,  speaking  still  of  Christ,  says: 

'*He  gave  himself  up  for  us  that  He  might  redeem  us  from  all  iniquity, 
and  that  He  might  cleanse  for  Himself  a  people  acceptable,  and  follower 
of  good  works,    ii,  14." 

From  these  texts,  and  from  others  which  could  be  readily 
brought  forward,  it  will  be  seen  that  the  Church  must  be 
holy;  that  sanctity  must  form  a  peculiarity  distinguishing 
it  from  all  spurious  sects,  that  pretend  to  be,  but  are  not 
Churches  of  Christ.  In  fact,  there  is  no  man  professing 
Christianity  so  lost  to  all  sense  and  reason  that  pretends  to 
say  that  the  true  Church  of  Christ  can  be  otherwise  than 
holy. 

The  difficulty,  if  there  be  any  at  all,  is  in  regard  to  the 
manner  in  which  this  mark,  inasmuch  as  it  is  a  visible  one, 
distinguishes  the  true  fold  from  all  synagogues  of  Satax. 
In  the  present,  and  also  in  a  future  article,  we  intend  to 
show  that  the  mark  of  holiness  belongs  to  the  Catholic 
Church  and  to  no  other. 

Let  us,  in  the  first  place,  observe  the  distinction  that  must 
be  drawn  between  the  holiness  of  an  individual  and  that  of 
the  Church.  When  speaking  of  any  particular  person  living 
at  present  in  the  world,  we  cannot  say  with  absolute  certain- 
ty whether  he  is  or  is  not  holy  in  the   sight  of  God.     We 


5  6  ALETHAURION . 

may  have  what  is  termed  moral  certitude  in  his  regard,  but 
to  know  absolutely  that  such  or  such  a  person  is  in  a  state 
of  grace  at  a  given  time,  without  a  special  revelation,  is  im- 
possible. ''There  are  just  and  wise  men,"  says  the  Scrip- 
ture, Eccl.  ix,  1,  ''and  yet  no  one  knows  whether  he  is  wor- 
thy of  love  or  hatred."  If  a  man,  then,  cannot  tell,  with 
absolute  certainty,  whether  he  be  the  friend  or  the  enemy 
of  God,  for  a  much  stronger  reason  he  cannot  say  whether 
his  neighbor  is  or  is  not  in  the  state  of  grace. 

Why  so?  Because  it  is  not  necessary  for  a  man's  salva- 
tion that  he  should  know  the  spiritual  condition  of  his 
neighbor  ;  hence  God  has  placed  no  external  marks  on  any 
person  by  which  we  can  tell  the  state  of  his  soul.  But, 
with  the  Chui-ch  it  is  different.  To  belong  to  the  true  one 
has  an  important  bearing  on  our  salvation  ;  therefore  God 
has  given  us  connecting  links,  by  which  we  may,  with  cer- 
tainty tell  whether  the  Church  to  which  we  belong  is  or  is 
not  holy.  What  these  means  are  we  will  now  proceed  to 
investigate. 

How,  then,  is  the  Catholic  Church  holy?  It  is  so,  pri- 
marily, by  reason  of  its  founder  Jesus  Christ — by  reason  of 
the  doctrines  which  it  teaches,  and  of  the  heroic  sanctity  of 
so  many  thousands  of  its  children.  The  Church  is  holy  by 
reason  of  its  founder  Jesus  Christ.  Let  us  pause  here  and 
consider  the  force  of  these  words.  There  are  contained  in 
the  sentence,  two  propositions.  First,  that  Christ  is  the 
founder  of  the  Catholic  Church ;  and  secondly,  that  He  was 
holy.  Let  us  examine  each  separately.  Christ  is  the 
founder  of  the  Catholic  Church.  How  do  we  know  this? 
From  history.  Starting  from  our  own  day  we  have  a  con- 
tinuous chain  of  writers  until  we  go  back  to  the  earliest 
times  even  to  the  birth  of  Christianity.  These,  as  occasion 
requires,  make  mention  of  a  Catholic  Church,  founded  by 
Christ.  Thus,  at  the  present 'day,  we  have,  among  others, 
the  celebrated  theologian,  Perrone.  Li  his  works  he  speaks 
of   a  Church  founded  by   the  Saviour.     Going  back  to  the 


ALETHAURION.  57 

sixteenth  century,  we  find  Cardinal  Bellarmixe  bearing  the 
same  testimony.  Going  still  farther,  we  have  for  the  tenth 
century,  a  Bernard.  Augustine,  Bishop  of  Hippo,  gives 
testimony  for  the  fourth  century  ;  Tertellian  for  the  sec- 
ond. 

Thus,  we  get  among  the  Apostolic  Fathers.  One  of  the 
latter,  Clemext,  was  the  companion  of  Paul,  and  fourth 
Pope  of  Ronxg.  It  is  of  him  the  Apostle  speaks,  Phillip  iv, 
in  these  words : 

*•  I  pray  thee  also,  thou  faithful  companion  of  my  labors,  to  aid  those 
women  who  have  labored  with  me  in  the  gospel,  along  with  Cle3IENt, 
w^hose  names  are  in  the  Book  of  Life/' 

All  these  whose  names  we  have  mentioned,  either  directly 
or  indirectly,  speak  of  a  Church  founded  by  Christ,  identi- 
cal with  the  Catholic  Church  of  to-day. 

Besides  these,  there  are  also  scores  of  others,  forming  we 
may  say  an  unbroken  chain  of  evidence,  reaching  from  our 
own  day  to  the  time  when  Christ  lived  here  on  earth. 

Another  way  of  showing  that  Christ  is  the  founder  of 
the  Catholic  Church,  is  by  taking  the  succession  of  the 
Popes.  It  is  an  indisputable  fact,  that  there  have  been 
Popes  in  Rome  since  the  time  of  the  Apostles,  and,  each  not 
only  declared  himself  successor  of  St.  Peter,  but  was  ac- 
knowledged as  such  by  the  whole  world.  The  Popes  iden- 
tify themselves  w^ith  the  Catholic  Church,  and  give  it  that 
relation  to  Christ  that  effect  has  with  cause,  for  one  of  his 
Apostles,  viz :  Peter,  stands  first  on  the  list  of  the  Bishops  of 
Rome. 

It  will  be  seen,  from  these  various  considerations,  that  the 
Catholic  Church  goes  back  as  an  organized  society  to  the 
time  of  Christ,  and  bears  that  relation  to  him  to  that  an 
effect  does  to  its  cause.  The  other  proposition,  of  which  we 
spoke,  viz  :  that  Christ  is  holy,  needs  no  proof  here.  We 
believe  that  He  is  the  Son  of.  God,  the  Second  Person  of 
the  Blessed  Trinity,  and,  consequently,  incapable  of  sin. 

Having  shown  that  the  Catholic  Church  is  holy  by  reason 


58  ALETHAURION. 

of  its  founder,  let  us  next  consider  whether  any  other  religious 
denomination  can  claim  sanctity  on  the  same  ground. 

We  have  at  the  present  day  various  sects,  some  of  which, 
such  as  J^estorians,  go  back  to  a  very  remote  period — not 
however,  by  some  hundreds  of  years,  to  the  time  of  Christ. 
But  those  we  have  dealings  with  in  America  are  quite  mod- 
ern. None  of  them  go  back  as  organized  societies  beyond 
the  sixteenth  century.  Not  a  few,  such  as  the  Meth- 
odist, Campbellite  and  Mormon,  do  not  go  even  that  far. 
Yet  strange  to  say,  nearly  all  claim  the  Saviour  as  thei^ 
founder.  But  how  Christ  could  have  founded  a  society  fif- 
teen or  sixteen  hundred  years  after  his  death  is  not  easily 
understood.     To  illustrate  we  will  take  an  example. 

Suppose  some  man  in  Ireland,  should  at  the  present  day, 
organize  a  society,  whose  aim  was  to  free  the  country  from 
the  tyranny  of  the  English,  and  should,  after  having  done  so, 
give  out  that  George  Washington  was  the  originator  of  the 
society  in  question.  Do  you  suppose  he  would  get  many  to 
believe  what  he  said  ?  We  think  not.  The  first  question 
asked,  would  be  this  :  Can  you  prove  from  history  that  this 
organization  of  yours  goes  back  to  the  time  Washington 
lived?  can  you  show  that  it  has  the  relation  to  him  that  ef- 
fect has  to  cause  ?  Unless  you  make  clear  these  two  points 
you  will  succeed  in  persuading  only  the  uninformed  that  your 
society  came  from  the  brain  of  Washington. 

Now,  the  members  of  the  sects  are  in  the  same  predica- 
ment. Can  any  of  them  prove  that  their  organization  goes 
back  to  the  time  of  Christ  ?  Can  they  show  connection  with 
him  as  effect  w^ith  cause  ? 

We  have  seen  some  attempts  at  it,  but  none  which  a  can- 
did man  would  not  at  once  throw  aside,  as  either  unintelligi- 
ble or  dishonest.  The  sects  may  pretend  that  they  teach  the 
doctrines  of  Christ,  but  they  cannot  in  reason  claim  him  as 
a  founder,  unless  they  first  make  clear  the  two  items  to 
which  we  have  alluded.  From  all  this  we  may  gather,  that 
Christ  is  the'  founder  alone  of  the  Catholic  Church,  and. 


ALETHAURION.  59 

consequently,  that  it  alone  has  the  mark  of  holiness  because 
of  its  founder. 

In  the  next  we  will  pursue,  a  little  farther,  this   same 
question. 


CHAPTER  XII. 


HOLINESS  A  '^L\RK  OF  THE  TEUE  CHURCH. 

In  Chapter  xi,  after  having  shown  from  the  Scriptures, 
that  holiness  is  a  mark  of  the  Church  of  Christ,  we  consid- 
ered the  claims  of  the  Catholic  Church  to  the  mark  in  ques- 
tion. We  referred  to  the  fact  that,  of  all  the  denomina- 
tions existing  at  present  in  the  world,  and  claiming  Christ 
as  their  founder,  it  alone  can  fearlessly  appeal  to  history. 
It  alone  had  an  origin  contemporary  with  the  Apostles.  We 
can  easily  name  the  time  when  each  and  every  one  of  the 
others  began,  and  can  lay  a  finger  on  the  men  who  first 
ororanized  them.  Where  was  Protestantism  in  oreneral  be- 
fore  Luther?  Where  was  Episcopalianism  before  King 
Henry  ?  Where  was  the  Baptist  society  before  the  time  of 
Storck  and  Muncer?  Where  was  Methodism  before  Wes- 
ley? Where  was  Campbellism  before  Campbell?  They 
were  all  where  Job's  boils  were,  before  Satan  got  permis- 
sion to  afiiict  him.  They  were  in  the  possibility  of  hell, 
but  no  where  else.  Hence  the  Catholic  Church  is  positively 
the  only  one  that  goes  back,  as  an  organized  body,  to  the 
the  time  of  Christ.  It  is  the  only  Church  that  can,  with 
any  sKow  of  reason,  claim  Him  as  its  founder.  This  is  a 
fact  that  any  one  may  find  out  who  is  ignorant  of  it,  but  will- 
ing to  make  use  of  even  a  part  of  the  diligence  in  searching 
for  truth,  which  men  are  accustomed  to  employ  almost 
every  day  in  things  of  less  importance. 

There  may  be  some  men  of  limited  education,  who  do  not 
know  all  we  have  said  concerning  the  divine  origin  of  the 
Catholic  Church ;  but  this  ignorance  will  not  excuse  them  j 


€0  ALETHAURION. 

because  they  can  very  easily  find  out,  if  they  feel  really  in- 
terested in  the  matter.  We  may  then  say,  in  all  truth  and 
sincerity,  without  fear  of  contradiction,  that  the  mark  of 
holiness,  hy  reason  of  its  founder  alone,  is  so  clearly  stamped 
upon  the  Catholic  Church  that  even  he  who  runs  may 
see  it. 

Now  as  it  would  be  clearly  ridiculous  in  any  of  the  sects 
to  claim  Christ  as  immediate  founder,  and  consequently 
unreasonable  that  they  should  pretend  to  the  character  of 
holiness,  exactly  on  the  same  grounds  that  we  do,  hence 
they  get  around  the  difficulty,  in  a  manner  that  may  be  sat- 
tisfactory  to  ignorant  and  unread  people,  but  not  so  to  him 
^who  is  willing  and  able  to  investigate  the  truth,  and  equally 
prepared  to  accept  it,  when  discovered. 

They  say :  we  don't  deny  that  the  Catholic  is  the  oldest 
Church ;  that  it  was  founded  by  Christ,  if  you  will ;  but, 
we  maintain  that,  in  the  course  of  time,  it  fell  away  from 
its  original  purity — it  became  corrupt.  This  being  the  case, 
God  raised  up  such  men  as  Luther,  Calvin,  Henry  VIII, 
and  others  to  reform  it ;  or,  at  least,  to  lead  forth  God's 
people  from  it — pretty  much  in  the  same  way  that  Moses 
once  rescued  the  people  of  Israel  from  the  bondage  of  Pha- 
raoh. This  is,  substantially,  the  plea  they  go  on.  They 
make  use  of  the  Catholic  Church  as  abridge,  whenever  they 
want  to  establish  a  connection  between  themselves  and 
Christ,  but,  when  that  is  not  the  question  under  considera- 
tion, they  speak  of  it  as  an  institution  altogether  rotten  and 
unsafe. 

We  will  now  take  up  this  idea,  and,  after  having  venti- 
lated it  somewhat,  each  candid  man  will  see  how  exceedingly 
false  and  fallacious  it  is.  First,  they  say  the  Catholic 
Ghurch  became  corrupt,  second,  that  Luther,  Calvin  and 
others  were  sent  to  reform  it.  Both  the  one  and  the  other 
of  these  assumptions  are  untrue  ;  the  Church  of  Christ,  can- 
not by  any  possibility,  lose  its  purity.  **  You  are  the  salt 
of  the  earth,''  says  the  Saviour  to   the  Apostles.     Now  it  is 


ALETHAURION.  61 

a  well  known  fact  that  you  may  take  a  handful  of  salt  and 
bury  it  in  the  ground  for  fifty — a  hundred — a  thousand 
years,  and  at  the  end  it  will  still  be  salt.  It  will  not  decom- 
pose like  other  substances.  It  is  thus  with  the  teachings  of 
the  Apostles  and  their  successors  in  the  ministry.  The  salt 
will  not  lose  its  savor.  But,  as  w^e  w^ill  have  occasion  to 
speak  on  this  subject,  when  treating  of  the  indefectihility  of 
the  Church  of  Christ,  we  merely  for  the  present  allude  to  it. 

Christ  made  His  Church  to  last  till  the  end  of  time.  He 
was  a  good  workman,  and  He  has  warranted  His  work. 
"Behold,"  says  He  to  the  Apostles  and  their  successors, 
*'  I  am  with  you  all  days,  even  to  the  consummation  of  the 
world."  Hence  there  was  no  need  at  all  that  such  botches 
as  Martin  Luther,  John  Calvin  and  others  should  set  about 
remodeling  what  the  Omniscient  had  fashioned.  We  would 
say,  further,  that  it  was  on  their  part  an  act  of  blasphemous 
impudence.  The  Church  of  Christ  can  never  need  reforma- 
tion in  her  doctrines  touching  faith  and  morals;  for 
reformation  supposes  previous  deformation,  and  the  spouse 
of  Christ  cannot  become  deformed. 

There  is  in  the  museum  of  the  Capitol  at  Rome  a  celebrated 
statue,  known  under  the  name  of  the  Dying  Gladiator^ 
about  which  Lord  Byron  wrote  those  beautiful  lines  found 
in  the  IV  Canto  of  Childe  Harold,  and  familiar  to  almost 
every  school-boy.  The  statue  is  regarded  by  the  best  sculp- 
tors as  a  master  piece.  As  a  work  of  art,  humanly  speaking,, 
it  is  perfect.  Any  changes  made  on  it  would  certainly  be 
for  the  worse.  Now  let  us  suppose  that  some  third  or  fourth 
class  artist,  on  seeing  this  wonderful  piece  of  workmanship, 
should  take  it  into  his  head,  that,  after  all,  it  is  not  so  per- 
fect as  people  think  it  to  be.  Suppose  he  took  the  resolution 
to  remodel,  according  to  his  notions,  the  first  opportunity 
he  got.  Would  not  every  one  regard  such  an  artist  a  fit 
subject  for  bedlam  ? 

But,  take  for  granted,  that  this  same  botch  should  carry 
his  folly  to  such  an  extent,  as  to  come  into  the  very  room 


62  AT,ETHAUKIOX. 

Tvhere  the  statue  is,  and  mallet  and  chisel  in  hand,  should 
hegm  the  wovk  of  toucliing  off.  What  would  the  guardian 
be  likely  to  say,  on  finding  such  an  individual  at  such  work? 

Let  us  now  apply  this  to  the  case  of  which  we  have  spoken. 
The  Church  of  Christ  is  a  masterpiece,  chiseled  out  and 
made  perfect  by  no  less  a  personage  than  the  Son  of  God. 
What  folly,  then,  that  such  men  as  Luther  and  Calvin 
should  have  taken  it  into  their  heads  to  retouch  what  Christ 
himself  had  modeled  and  finished.  Hence,  we  find  the  Popes 
of  every  age,  the  faithful  guardians  of  that  most  noble  piece 
of  workmanship,  whip  in  hand,  ready  to  scourge  from  the 
sanctuary  all  who,  through  malice  or  culpable  ignorance, 
conceived,  and  sought  to  put  into  execution  their  designs  of 
changing  it. 

But,  may  be  some  one  will  say,  that  the  reformers  of  the 
sixteenth  century,  having  had  authority  direct  from  God, 
were  not  bound  to  pay  attention  to  man's  prohibition.  Let 
us  examine  a  little  into  this  case.  Were  Luther  and  Calvin 
sent  by  the  Almighty  to  remodel  the  Church  ? 

We  may  answer,  that,  at  least,  both  were  not  sent.  Why? 
Because  their  testimony  did  not  agree.  If  both  had  been 
sent  by  God  they  would  have  told  the  same  story. 

But,  was  either  of  them  sent?  We  hope,  before  con- 
cluding, to  show  thtxt  neither  the  one  nor  the  other  had  a 
divine  mission  to  reform  the  Church.  A  mission  to  reform 
or  modify  the  Church  is  either  extraordinary  or  it  is  ordin- 
ary. An  extraordinary  mission  is  where  one  is  sent  directly 
by  God  Himself.  The  Saviour,  Moses,  and  the  Jewish 
prophets  had  extraordinary  missions  ;  they  proved  it  by 
miracles,  and  by  most  holy  lives,  which  are  the  signs  that 
accompany  that  kind  of  mission. 

Any  man  who  pretends  to  have  a  divine  extraordinary 
mission,  without  miracles  and  a  saintly  life,  is  an  impostor. 
As  to  an  ordinary  mission,  it  is  one  which  comes  directly 
from  God,  through  that  authority  which  He  has  established 
in  His  Church  here  on  earth. 


ALETIiAUEION.  63 

Now,  Luther  had  neither  an  extraordinary  mission  nor 
an  ordinary  one  to  reform  the  Church.  He  worked  no 
miracles,  besides  his  morals  were  very  corrupt. 

Calvix  once  took  it  into  his  head  to  perform  a  miracle. 
He  hired  a  man  to  play  dead,  that  he  might,  at  the  proper 
time,  raise  him  to  life.  When  all  things  were  ready  for  the 
miracle,  and  the  crowd  stood  by,  gaping  at  the  dead  man, 
Calvix  arrived  on  the  ground,  and,  after  some  prelimina- 
ries, he  looked  solemnly  up  to  Heaven,  then  at  the  bogus 
dead  man  and  called  out,  **/7i  the  name  of  Jescs  Christ, 
of  Nazareth,  I  say  unto  thee,  arise,'^  But  the  wretch  did 
not  arise  ;  the  justice  of  God  had  overtaken  him,  just  as  his 
accomplice  had  pronounced  the  words. 

These  are  the  miracles  worked  by  the  Reformers. 
Christ  and  the  Apostles  restored  men  to  life  bodily  and 
spiritually.  Our  Geneva  Apostle  took  away  the  life  of  the 
body,  at  least  in  this  case  ;  and  destroyed  the  souls  of  many 
by  his  pernicious  doctrines. 

Erasmus,  in  his  own  witty  way,  said  of  the  Reformers 
that,  so  far  from  raising  men  to  life  were  they,  not  one  of 
them  was  known  to  have  ever  cured  even  a  lame  horse. 
From  all  this  it  will  appear  that  those  men  had  not  extra- 
ordinary missions.  But  neither  had  they  an  ordinary  one, 
for  both  were  excommunicated  by  the  existing  authority. 

We  shall  not,  at  present,  dwell  further  on  this  subject. 
But,  by  a  little  reflection  on  all  we  have  said,  it  will  be  seen 
how  fallacious  is  the  idea,  that  lies  at  the  bottom  of  secta- 
rian thought  on  the  Church,  viz  :  that  the  Reformers  of  the 
sixteenth  century  had  their  commissions  from  God.  Let 
us  hence  conclude,  that  each  and  every  one  of  the  Reformed 
Churches,  far  from  being  able  to  connect  themselves  with 
Christ  through  the  Catholic  Church,  are  nothing  more  nor 
less  than  counterfeits,  base  impositions  put  in  circulation 
by  unscrupulous  agents  of  Satan,  calculated  to  deceive,  and 
effectually  doing  so  everyday.  If  we  take  this  view  of  the 
matter,  which  is,  in  fact,  the  only  one  that  can  with  reason 


64  ALETHAUPJON. 

be  taken  of  it,  we  will  readily  see  that,  instead  of  the  mark 
of  holiness,  each  and  every  one  of  them  has  impressed  upon 
it  the  brand  of  imposture  and  deceit. 

In  our  next  we  will  consider  the  claims  of  the  Catholic 
Church  to  the  mark  of  holiness  by  reason  of  the  doctrines, 
and  the  eminent  sanctity  of  so  many  thousands  of  its  chil- 
dren. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 


HOLINESS  A  31xiEK  OF   THE   TEUE   CHURCH. 

In  the  two  previous  chapters,  our  main  object  was  to 
throw  into  relief  the  fact  that  the  Catholic  Church  was 
founded  by  Christ,  the  Saviour.  This  point,  once  fairly 
established,  the  rest  follows  as  a  natural  consequence. 

Were  we  writing  for  the  instruction  of  Turks  or  heathens, 
before  undertaking  to  prove  the  holiness  of  Christ's  Church, 
order  and  right  reason  would  require  that  we  should  first 
establish  on  a  firm  basis  the  sanctity  of  Christ  himself. 
But,  as  our  efforts  are  principally  for  the. benefit  of  those 
who  admit  the  Saviour's  divine  mission,  we  prove  the  holi- 
ness of  the  Catholic  Church  by  showing  that  it  is  His  work. 

Having  done  so,  we  might  let  the  matter  rest,  and  turn 
our  attention  to  some  new  questions.  We  are  convinced, 
however,  that  in  a  work  like  this  it  is  better  not  to  be  too 
brief,  lest  we  at  the  same  time  become  obscure.  The  pro- 
position, Christ  founded  the  Catholic  Churchy  and,  there- 
fore,  it  is  holy,  niay  be  clear  enough  and  sufficient  for  a 
theologian,  but  not  so  to  others,  whose  pursuits  in  life  may 
be  such  as  not  to  afford  time  to  draw  out  truths  to  their 
full  extent. 

We  will,  therefore,  in  the  present  chapter,  bring  forward 
some  other  reasons  that  go  to  confirm  all  that  we  have  said 
about  the  Church  being  holy,  because  of  its  founder.  , 


ALETHAURION.  65 

The  Catholic  Church  is  holy  by  reason  of  its  doctrines. 
We  cannot,  as  a  matter  of  course,  take  up  each  point  of  our 
holy  faith  and  show  its  conformity  with  right  reason  and 
revelation.  This  would  be  a  lengthy  task,  and  though  an 
attempt  at  it  would  be  out  of  place  here,  it  is  well  to  know 
that  it  has  been  done  most  effectually  by  scores  of  our  the- 
ologians. Let  it  suffice  to  say  that  not  even  our  ablest  and 
bitterest  enemies  have  ever  succeeded  in  showing,  in  a  satis- 
factory manner,  that  the  teachings  of  the  Church  is  con- 
trary to  revelation  and  sound  morals.  When  an  attack 
is  made,  recourse  is  had  to  misrepresentation.  And  to  the 
shame  of  many  sectarians  be  it  said  that  whereas  they  are 
willing  and  read^^  to  listen  to,  and  even  applaud,  the  monte- 
bank  who  comes  before  them  to  vomit  his  abuse,  they  will 
not,  with  the  same  readiness,  come  to  hear  a  refutation  of 
the  calumnies  uttered. 

But  we  lay  no  particular  stress  here  on  the  doctrines  of  the 
Church,  taken  separately,  as  a  mark  of  holiness,  because  a 
mark  of  the  Church  ought  to  be  such  as  not  to  require  much 
investigation  to  discover  it.  There  is  one  doctrine,  however, 
that  may  and  ought  to  be  spoken  of  in  this  connection.  We 
refer  to  that  regarding  the  necessity  of  confessing  one's 
sins.  This,  in  itself,  cannot  fail  to  impress  any  candid  mind 
with  the  idea  that  the  Church,  Avhich  advocates  and  enforces 
it,  has  no  slight  claims  to  sanctity.  Besides  it  is  a  practice 
that  is  well  known  to  the  most  isrnorant  heretics.  We  have 
never  yet  met  a  Protestant  that  had  not  some  idea,  however 
distorted,  of  the  fact  that  in  the  Catholic  Church  people  had 
to  confess  their  sins. 

To  illustrate  more  fully  our  meaning,  and  show  how  this 
one  doctrine  is  holy,  and  at  the  same  time  no  small  proof  of 
the  sanctity  of  the  Church  which  puts  it  in  practice,  let  us 
take  an  example : 

John  Smith,  a  nominal  Catholic,  has,  we  will  say,  for  ten 
years  been  in  the  service  of  William  Brown,  and  during 
that  time,  at  different  periods,  has  taken  from  his  employer 


66  ALETHAURION. 

money  to  the  amount  of  one  thousand  dollars.  At  the  end 
of  the  ten  years  Smith  falls  sick,  and  feeling  that  his  last 
day  is  approaching,  he  asks  for  the  consolations  of  religion. 
A  priest  is  sent  for,  who  hears  his  confession,  and  in  the 
progress  of  it  inquires  whether  he  has  wronged  any  one  in 
money  matters.  Then  he  says:  ** Unless  you  restore  to 
Brown  the  money  you  have  taken  from  him,  I  cannot 
absolve  you,  neither  will  God  forgive  your  sins."  The 
consequence  of  this  is  the  restoration  of  the  money  to  its 
lawful  owner. 

Where  among  other  sects  can  we  find  a  doctrine  or  prac- 
tice like  this?  \yhere  is  the  preacher,  at  the  bedside  of  a 
rich  heretic,  who  would  dare  tell  him,  witti  the  knowledge 
of  his  heirs,  that  unless  he  restored  to  the  rightful  owners 
all  ill-gotten  goods,  God  would  not  receive  him  into  his 
friendship.  We  have  never  heard  of  a  preacher  that  made 
any  great  ado  about  such  a  matter.  Neither  have  we  known 
a  case  of  where  one  refused  to  preach  a  rich  man  into 
heaven,  simply  from  the  fact  that  he  had,  at  the  time  of  his 
death,  some  few  thousands  belonging  to  his  neighbor,  and 
refused  to  part  with  them. 

They  tell  a  story  of  an  old  negro  woman  who  had  stolen 
a  goose  from  her  preacher.  On  the  following  Sunday  she 
came  up  along  with  the  others  to  receive  the  '^sacrament.'' 
**Aunt  DixAH,"  said  the  preacher,  **ain't  you  forgot  'bout 
dat  goose?"  **0h,  you  jist  git  out,"  said  Aunt  Dixah, 
*' think  I's  gwine  to  let  an  old  goose  stand  twixt  me'n  de 
Lord ! ' 

It  is  a  good  deal  the  way  outside  the  Catholic  Church.  No 
one  thinks  of  refusing  to  fly  to  the  arms  of  Jesus  on  account 
of  a  few  miserable  dollars  that  stand  between. 

Straws  show  which  way  the  wind  blows,  and  tvhen  thrown 
on  the  water,  they  indicate  the  course  of  the  stream.  Let  us 
then  take  notice  of  a  little  fact  whose  truth  will  not  be 
questioned.  It  may  be  compared  to  the  straw,  unimportant 
in  itself,  yet  to  the  reflecting  mind  it  tells  a  tale. 


ALETHAURION.  67 

The  State  of  Kentucky  is  the  happy  possessor  of  a  num- 
ber of  excellent  turnpike  roads,  the  property,  in  most  cases, 
of  private  companies.  Along  with  being  a  convenience  to 
the  pubUc,  these  roads  are  a  source  of  emolument  to  the 
stockholders,  and,  of  course,  they  try  to  make  as  much  out 
of  them  as  possible.  Now  what  significant  fact  do  we  find 
in  connection  with  these  same  **pikes?" 

Fully  five-sixths,  and  probably  a  higher  average,  of  the 
toll-gate  keepers  are  Catholics.  Why  is  this?  Are  the 
Catholics  chosen  because  especially  beloved  by  the  stock- 
holders? Not  at  all — but  the  companies  find  out,  by  experi- 
ence, that  more  money  is  handed  in  at  the  end  of  the  month 
by  the  Catholic  toll-gate  keepers  than  by  others.  Hence, 
they  get  the  preference,  for  the  children  of  this  world  are 
wise  in  their  generation.  When  there  is  a  question  of  gain- 
ing a  few  dollars,  they  have  no  trouble  in  recognizing  the  true 
Cliurch  by  the  honesty  of  its  children  ;  but  when  there  is  a 
question  of  saving  their  own  souls,  they  become  at  once 
short-sighted.  Does  not  this  fact  alone  tell  a  tale,  and  who 
will,  after  consideration  of  it,  dare  aflSrm  that  the  heretics 
of  this  State  are  in  ignorance  invincible  on  the  subject  of  the 
true  Church  ? 

Let  us  now  consider,  briefly,  another  striking  proof  of  the 
holiness  of  the  Catholic  Church.  It  will  not  be  denied  that 
voluntary  poverty^  perpetual  chastity  and  entire  obedience 
are  strongly  recommended  in  the  New  Testament.  Christ, 
the  Saviour,  during  his  mortal  life  gave  an  example  of  each 
of  them.  His  Apostles  followed  in  His  footsteps,  and 
recommended  to  the  faithful  to  strive  in  the  same  direction. 

Now,  in  which  of  the  existing  forms  of  religion  do  we  find 
these  counsels  carried  out  in  spirit  and  in  truth?  Where 
have  you  ever  seen  a  heretic  that  was  poor  from  choice  ? 
Where  have  you  met  one  that  led  a  single  life  for  greater 
perfection's  sake?  We  have  seen  plenty  of  heretical  old 
bachelors,  and  old  heretical  maids,  too,  that  pretended  to 


68  ALETHAURION. 

lead  lives  of  celibacy  from  choice.  But  people  generally 
choose  to  doubt  their  sincerity. 

As  regards  entire  obedience,  it  would  be  difficult  to  ascer- 
tain, with  certainty,  whether  **our  separated  brethren  "  obey 
the  laws  of  the  land,  for  conscience  sake,  or  whether  it  is, 
because  the  sheriff  bears  not  the  halter  in  vain.  We  may 
say,  however,  of  all  heresies,  from  beginning  to  end,  that 
they  are  only  so  many  rebellions  against  lawfully  constituted 
authority. 

The  bloodshed  in  Germany,  during  the  war  of  the  peas- 
ants, and  that  which  flowed  on  the  feast  of  St.  Barthole- 
MEW,  in  France,  w^ere  both  occasioned  by  that  turbulent  and 
rebellious  spirit,  infused  into  their  deluded  followers  by  the 
early  Reformers. 

Hence,  when  there  is  question  of  the  practice  of  the  Evan- 
gelical counsels,  we  will  seek  for  it  in  vain  among  the  sects. 
On  the  contrary,  in  the  Catholic  Church,  there  are  thous- 
ands of  men  and  women,  in  religious  orders,  who  live  long 
lives  in  the  daily  practice  of  them. 

We  have  said  nothinoj  like  this  could  be  found  amonor  the 
sects — a  mistake — there  are  the  Shakers.  But,  ye  powers  ! 
What  a  parody  on  the  religious  orders  of  the  Catholic  Church. 
Take  a  Shaker  and  place  him  along  side  a  Jesuit  or  a  Bene- 
dictine, and  what  have  you?  A  Muscovy  drake  along  side 
of  an  eagle — Diogenes  by  the  side  of  St.  Paul. 

Another  proof  of  the  holinesss  of  the  Catholic  Church  is 
the  fact  that,  whatever  nations  have  been  converted  to  Chris- 
tianity from  Paganism,  were  so  converted  by  her  mission- 
aries. The  tree  may  be  known  by  its  fruit.  And  the  fruit 
of  that  old  tree,  which  the  Saviour  planted,  has  been  abun- 
dant. But,  what  has  Protestantism  done  for  the  spread  of 
Christianity?  Nothing.  The  day  is  fast  approaching  when 
it  shall  be  hewn  down  and  cast  into  the  fire,  for  such  will  be 
the  fate  of  every  tree  that  brings  not  forth  good  fruit. 

In  our  next  we  will  speak  of  universality  as  a  mark  of  the 
true  fold. 


ALETHAURION.  69 


CHAPTER  XIV. 


CATHOLICITY  A  MARK  OF  THE  TRUE  CHURCH. 

The  English  word  catholic  is  a  modification  of  the  Greek 
adjective  katholikos,  which  means  universal.  The  Catholic 
Church  then,  in  pkiin  English,  means  the  universal  Church. 
How  it  came  to  be  so  called  we  will  explain  in  a  future  chap- 
ter. Our  present  purpose  is  to  show  that  universality  is  a 
mark  of  the  true  Church.  Let  us  examine  the  Scriptures 
and  take  note  of  what  they  say  on  the  subject.  In  chapter 
xxii,  verse  18,  of  the  book  of  Genesis,  we  find  a  remarkable 
promise,  made  by  God  to  Abraham,  in  these  words  : 

'•And  in  thy  seed  shall  a ZH/ie  nations  of  the  eartWbQ  blessed,  because 
thou  hast  obeyed  my  voice." 

This  promise  was  fulfilled  in  no  other  than  the  Saviour, 
who  was  descended  from  Abraham,  according  to  the  flesh. 
Now,  the  religion  of  Christ  is  the  means  by  which  men  are 
blest,  and  as  all  nations  were  to  come  in  for  apart  of  it,^^  e, 
of  the  promised  blessing,  it  follows  that  the  means  were  to 
be  co-extensive  with  the  nations.  In  other  words,  the  re- 
ligion of  Christ  was  to  be  co-extensive  with  the  earth. 

Parallel  to  this,  is  what  we  find  in  the  ii  Psalm,  where 

holy  David,  speaking  in  the  person  of  God,  the  Father,  to 

the  only  Begotten  Son,  saj^s  : 

*'A>k  of  me,  and  I  mil  give  thee  the  nations  as  thy  inheritance,  and  as 
thy  possession  the  confines  of  the  earth.'"' 

These,  and  similar  texts  of  the  Old  Testament,  have,  as 
all  admit,  reference  to  the  future  Messiah,  and  the  kingdom 
which  He  was  to  found.  A  kins^dom  not  confined  within  the 
limits  of  Palestine,  but  taking  in  all  nations,  tribes  and 
tongues. 

The  New  Testament  also  bears  testimony  to  the  fact  that 
the  religion,  or  Church  of  Christ  was  to  be  universal.     In 


70  ALETHAURION. 

Matthew  xxvi,  we  read  that,  when  ]VL\ry  Magdalene  had 
poured  the  ointment  on  the  Saviour's  head,  he  declared  that, 
wherever  this  gospel  is  preached  over  the  ivhole  worlds  that 
also  which  she  had  done  would  be  told  as  a  memorial  of  her. 
In  chapter  xxviii  of  the  same  gospel,  we  read  that  the 
Saviour  sent  his  Apostles  to  teach  and  baptize  all  nations. 
That  the  Apostles  carried  out  these  commands  ^vith  fidelity 
and  success,  we  learn  of  St.  Paul,  (Coloss.  i,  6,)  where, 
speaking  of  the  gospel,  he  says  :  "  It  is  in  the  whole  vforldy 
and  bears  fruit  and  grows,  and  among  you." 

All  the  ancient  Fathers  regarded  universality  as  a  mark  of 
the  true  Church,  and  made  use  of  the  fact,  as  an  argument 
to  show  that  the  heretical  sects  of  their  times  were  not 
Churches  of  Christ,  because  they  lacked  the  mark  in  ques- 
tion. As  we  do  not  wish  to  burden  these  pages  with  long 
quotations,  let  one,  from  the  celebrated  Origin,  suffice : 
"We  are  called  Catholics^'"  says  he,  *'  because  we  believe 
as  the  whole  ivorld  believes." 

We  have  said  enough  to  show  that  universality  is  a  mark 
of  the  true  Church  ;  by  the  knowledge  and  aid  of  which  any 
one,  really  in  earnest,  may  find  it.  So  persuaded,  in  fact, 
are  men  of  the  importance  of  universality,  that  there  is  not 
a  sect  within  the  length  and  breadth  of  these  United  States 
that  does  not  spend  yearly  vast  sums  in  order  to  gain  it,  and 
at  the  end  they  are  as  far  off  as  ever.  Like  the  frog  that 
wished  to  swell  himself  up  to  the  dimensions  of  a  bull,  and 
burst,  so  the  sects,  in  trying  to  rival  the  magnitude  of  the 
Catholic  Church,  take  in  too  much   foul  air,  and  explode. 

But,  as  some  of  these  sects  retain  the  Apostle's  creed,  and 
pretend  to  be  portions  of  the  '*  Holy  Catholic  Church,"  it 
is  right  that  we  should  draw  a  clear  line  of  distinction 
between  genuine  catholicity,  and  ihut  spurious  article,  which 
is  huckstered  around  by  some  of  their  leading  men. 

William  Palmer,  a  clergyman  of  the  Church  of  England, 
and  Fellow  of  the  University  of  Oxford,  in  a  woik  on  the 
Church,  published   some  years   ago,  regards   catholicity  as 


ALETHAUEION.  71 

one  of  the  marks  of  the  true  faith,  and  then  he  goes  on  to 
explain  what  he  means.  His  theory  seems  to  be,  that  the 
Church  of  Cueist  is  composed  of  all  who  believe  in  Him. 
This  opiaion  wc  took  occasion  to  refute,  when  speaking  of 
the  mark  of  unity.  The  Lutherans  and  Methodists  also  re- 
tain the  Apostle's  creed,  and  no  doubt,  give,  substantially, 
the  same  explanation  to  the  word   Catholic  found  therein. 

It  will  now  be  in  order  to  define  the  nature  of  the  catho- 
licity which  forms  a  mark  of  the  Saviour's  Church.  We 
may  state  the  case  thus  : 

No  religious  organization  can  rightly  lay  claim  to  the 
mark  of  catholicity  that  is  not  universal  in  point  of  time, 
i.  e.,  it  must  have  existed  as  an  organization  from  the  days 
of  the  Apostles  to  our  own.  It  must  be  universal  in  point 
of  space,  i.  e.,  it  must  be,  morally  speaking,  extended  over 
the  world.  It  must  be  universal,  in  point  of  belief,  i.  e.,  its 
members  must  all  believe  alike. 

Let  us  now  examine  into  the  claims  of  some  of  the  exist- 
ing Christian  denominations.  We  take  first  of  all,  the 
Roman  Church,  by  which  we  mean  the  organization  of  which 
Pius  IX  is  at  present  the  acknowledged  head.  Is  it  catholic, 
in  point  of  time  ? 

We  have  been  for  many  years  past,  under  the  impression 
that  it  is,  and  our  reading  of  history  has  greatly  confirmed 
us  in  the  notion.  We  would,  in  fact,  be  charmed  with  the 
acquaintance  of  any  one  who  could  name  a  period  of  ten 
years  from  the  time  of  St.  Peter,  within  which  it  has  not 
had  a  living  representative  head. 

The  succession  of  the  Popes  of  Eome,  in  direct  line  from 
the  Prince  of  the  Apostles,  proves  the  catholicity  of  the 
Roman  Church,  so  far  as  time  is  concerned.  We  are  not 
ignorant,  however,  of  the  fact,  that,  for  the  space  of  seventy 
years,  the  Popes  resided  at  Avingnon,  in  France;  but  we 
know,  at  the  same  time,  that  they  always  retained  the  title 
of  Bishops  of  Rome. 

But  is  the  Roman  Church  catholic,  in  point  of  place? 


72  ALETHAURION. 

Let  US  begin  with  our  own  country.  What  State,  or  even 
considerable  town  of  this  Union  can  you  find,  that  has  not 
Catholics  in  it?  In  most  of  the  large  cities,  the  population 
is  nearly  equally  divided  between  Catholics  and  non-Catho- 
lics. The  Catholic  Church  in  this  country,  as  in  the  days 
of  the  Apostles,  begins  with  the  large  cities,  and  gradually 
extends  its  civilizing  influences  to  the  small  towns  and 
country  places.  Out  of  a  population  of  thirty-eight  mil- 
lions, we  have  six,  and  it  may  be  doubted  whether  all  the 
sects  put  together  can  marshal  such  a  membership.  It  must 
be  rememl)ered  that  vast  numbers  of  the  American  people 
have'  never  been  baptized.  Even  thousands  who  join  the 
various  sectarian  conventicles  in  the  hurry  and  flurry  of  a 
camp-meeting  or  revival,  drop  off  again  as  soon  as  the 
excitement  is  over.  It  would,  on  that  account,  be  diflScult 
to  tell,  with  certainty,  the  number  of  sectarians  in  this 
country  at  a  given  time, 

From  here  let  us  pass  over  to  Europe,  that  we  may  see 
whether  the  Church  of  Kome  is  catholic  there.  We  will 
not  introduce  such  countries  as  France,  Ireland,  Belgium, 
Spain,  Portugal,  the  Austrian  Empire,  Bavaria,  and  Italy, 
where  the  population  is  Catholic,  almost  to  a  man.  Take 
England  and  Scotland.  Now,  there  are  in  these  countries 
fifteen  bishops  and  seventeen  hundred  and  twenty-seven 
priests.  They,  of  course,  represent  a  large  Catholic  popu- 
lation. In  Prussia,  there  are  fifty-six  Catholic  Members  of 
Parliament.  We  take  for  granted  that  these  fifty-six 
members  are  elected  by  Catholic  votes.  Our  experience 
teaches  that,  however  anxious  non-Catholics  may  be  to  get 
into  office  by  means  of  the  Catholic  vote,  they  will  not,  save 
in  the  rarest  cases,  support  one  for  an  office  of  trust,  or 
emolument,  in  this  country.  We  presume  it  is  the  same, 
and  even  worse,  in  Germany.  The  children  of  this  world 
are  wise  in  their  generation,  and  they  know  well  the  impor- 
tance of  having  one  of  their  own  party  in  power.     What 


ALETHAURION.  73 

a  pity  that  Catholics  do  not  learn  a  little  of  them  in  this 
particular. 

Now,  as  regards  the  other  countries  of  Europe,  and  those 
of  Asia  and  Africa,  we  certainly  have  not  government  statis- 
tics to  go  on.  Nevertheless,  we  know  that  vast  numbers  of 
Catholics  can  be  found  in  them.  Having  been  a  student  for 
some  time  in  the  College  of  the  Propaganda  at  Rome,  we  had 
the  pleasure  of  becoming  acquainted  with  Catholic  young 
men  from  the  following  places :  Albania,  Georgia,  Greece, 
Armenia,  Chaldea,  Persia,  Mount  Libanus,  Egypt,  China, 
Hindoostan,Cape  Colony,  Australia,  Senegambia,  Asia  Minor. 
But  we  have  said  enough  to  establish  the  fact  that  the  Eoinan 
Church  is,  in  reality,  what  it  pretends  to  be  Catholic  or  Uni- 
versal. Each  of  these  students  represented  a  large  Catholic 
jDopulation  in  his  own  country,  for  only  one  or  so  out  of  a 
million  can  secure  a  place  in  the  Propaganda. 

In  our  next  we  will  consider  the  universality  of  belief  in 
the  Catholic  Church,  as  well  as  other  items  connected  there- 
with. 


CHAPTER    XV 


CATHOLICITY   A   MARK   OF   THE   TRUE    CHURCH. 

In  the  last  chapter,  after  having  demonstrated,  from  the 
scriptures,  both  of  the  Old  and  New  Testament,  that  the 
Church  of  Christ  was  to  be  extended  over  the  whole  world, 
we  explained  somewhat  the  nature  of  the  universality  it  was 
to  have.  We  said  that  it  was  to  be  universal  in  point  of 
time,  in  point  of  place,  and  in  the  belief  of  its  members. 
The  claims  of  the  Roman  Church  were  then  taken  up  and 
measured.  It  was  found  that,  so  far  as  time  is  concerned, 
it  may  well  claim  the  mark  of  universality,  since,  without 
doubt  it  goes  back  as  an  organized  society  to  the  period 
when  the  Saviour  lived  on  earth. 


74  ALETHAURION. 

So  far  as  place  is  concerned,  we  showed,  to  use  a  scriptural 
phrase,  that  *^it  is  in  the  whole  world."  Before  examining 
into  the  question  of  the  sameness  of  belief,  let  us  compare  its 
numbers  with  those  of  the  other  religious  societies  that  pro- 
fess belief  in  Christ,  but  will  not  admit  the  authority  of  His 
Vicar. 

We  have  at  the  present  day  in  the  world  a  Eoman  Catho- 
lic population  of  about  200,000,000.  Some  say  this  num!)er 
is  too  small,  and  maintain  that  there  are  fully  25  or  30  millions 
more  of  Catholics.  But,  for  the  present,  we  will  take  the  low- 
est average,  and  then  compare  with  the  sects  and  schismatics. 
Now,  the  Greek  schismatics,  taken  along  with  those  of  the 
Kussian  Church,  may  be  set  down  at  about  30,000,000,  so 
that  there  are  nearly  seven  times  as  many  Catholics  as  there 
are  of  Greek  and  Kussian  schismatics  put  together.  Add  to 
these  30,000,000,  the  Nestorians,  Jacobites,  Armenians, 
Copts,  Abysinians,  and  others,  still  found  in  the  Oriental 
countries,  and  you  will  have  an  aggregate  of  41,000,000. 
Hence,  there  are  nearly  five  times  as  many  Catholics  as  there 
are  schismatics  of  all  classes.  The  Protestants  of  Europe 
are  said  to  number  46,000,000.  In  this  country  it  would 
be  a  fair  estimate  to  say  that  the  various  sects  taken  togeth- 
er could  marshal  a  membership  of  8,000,000.  This  is  prob- 
ably too  high  ;  for  it  must  be  remembered  that  there  are 
thousands  in  the  United  States  who  do  not  belong  to  any 
Church.  They  may  be  compared  to  abandoned  cattle  ;  and 
become  the  property  of  the  Church  that  first  succeeds  in 
laying  hands  on  them. 

By  adding  to  the  number  of  Protestants  already  spoken 
of  those  that  are  to  be  found  in  Australia,  and  in  the  Brit- 
ish possession  of  North  America,  we  get  an  aggregate  of 
about  60,000,000.  According  to  these  figures  we  have 
about  three  and  a  third  times  as  many  Catholics  as  there  are 
Protestants  of  all  sects.  Now,  by  adding  to  these  60,000,- 
000  of  heretics,  the  41,000,000  of  schismatics,  spoken  of 
above,  we  get  altogether   101,000,000.     Thus  we  see  that 


ALETELVUKIOX.  75" 

the  Roman,  or  Catholic  Church  has  a  membership  nearly 
twice  as  large  as  all  others — horse,  foot  and  artillery  put 
together. 

We  have  been  induced  to  go  into  arithmetic  in  our  pres- 
ent chapter,  from  a  knowledge  of  the  fact  that,  in  many  of 
the  smaller  towns  of  this  State,  you  may  find  people  who 
really  think  there  are  only  a  few  Catholics  in  the  world. 
We  trust,  should  this  article  find  its  way  into  their  hands, 
it  may  serve  a  good  purpose  by  opening  their  eyes  to  the 
truth. 

We  will  now  proceed  to  lake  into  consideration  the  third 
element  required  in  the  mark  of  universality,  viz  :  Sameness 
of  belief.  Do  all  Catholics  believe  alike?  We  answ^er, 
most  emphatically,  they  do.  We  have  in  the  Church  a  liv- 
ing, teaching  authority  ;  a  tribunal,  whose  decisions,  on  all 
questions  touching  the  eternal  interests  of  the  human  race, 
are  infallible.  Hence,  if  any  one,  knowingly,  refuses  to 
admit  its  authority,  or  abide  by  its  decisions,  he  ceases  at 
once  to  be  a  living  member  ;  and  only  waits  the  pruner*s 
hook,  by  which  he  is  cut  off  as  a  withered,  dry  and  fruitless 
branch. 

To  become  a  member  of  the  lifeguards  of  Queen  Victoria^ 
a  certain  height  is  required  in  the  applicant.  He  may  be  in 
other  respects  a  specimen  ;  but,  unless  the  crown  of  his  head 
stands  six  feet  above  his  heels,  he  will  not  do.  We  have 
also  in  the  Church  a  certain  standard — a  chalked  line — and 
he  who  falls  under  it,  will  not  do.  He  may  be  a  learned 
man,  may  have  written  books,  may  have  had  his  name  in 
print  for  years.  But,  if  he  will  not  say  from  his  heart, 
without  reserve,  **I  believe  in  the  Holy  Catholic  Church,  and 
in  all  it  teaches,"  we  brand  him,  and  bid  him  stand  aside 
with  the  condemued. 

But,  some  one  may  say  :  Since  the  Catholic  Church  has  a 
membership  of  200,000,000,  and  these  scattered  over  the 
whole  world,  may  there  not  be  scores  of  men  and  women 
going  on  for  years  in  the  belief  and  practice  of  heresy,  and 


76  ALETHAURION. 

the  Pope  and  bishops  be  none  the  wiser?  This  supposition 
is  groundless.  The  organization  of  the  Church  is  such  as 
to  make  it  impossible.  Take  the  example  of  a  man  who 
treads  on  a  thorn  and  wounds  his  foot.  How  long  does  it 
take  the  head  to  become  aware  of  the  fact?  Not  long  ;  for 
the  nerves  will  almost  in  an  instant,  communicate  a  knowl- 
edge of  it  to  the  brain.  It  is  thus  in  the  Church.  It  too  has 
a  nervous  system,  and  the  evil  that  any  member  suffers  is 
speedily  communicated  to  the  head.  Let  us  suppose  that  a 
certain  member  of  one  of  the  parish  Churches  in  Blank 
City,  should  publicly  deny  his  belief  in  the  infallibility  of 
the  Pope,  or  in  the  power  of  forgiving  sins  claimed  by  the 
priests.  What  would  be  the  consequence?  He  would  excite 
the  indignation  of  his  fellow  Catholics,  and  the  thing  would 
soon  come  to  the  rector's  ears.  If,  after  admonition,  l.e 
still  continued  in  his  ways,  leaving  on  the  people's  mind  a 
wrong  impression  what  Catholic  doctrine  is,  the  pastor 
would,  in  all  probability,  request  him  to  make  a  public  re- 
traction, and,  in  case  he  refused,  excommunicate  him,  as  a 
punishment  for  his  offences  and  a  warning  to  others.  He 
might  then  talk  as  much  and  as  stupidly  as  he  pleased  about 
infallibility  and  confession  also. 

Should  even  a  bishop,  yielding  to  the  temptation  of  Satan, 
resist  the  teaching  authority  of  the  Church,  it  would  not  be 
long  before  the  fact  became  generally  known,  and  the  Pope, 
who  has  the  care  of  all  the  Churches,  would  force  him  either 
to  abandon  heresy,  or  resign  his  charge.  As  to  the  Pope 
himself,  we  know  that,  by  the  mercy  of  God,  in  matters  ap- 
pertaining to  faith  and  morals,  his  teaching  can  never  become 
tainted  with  heresy. 

Thus  it  is  in  the  true  Church.  All  who  are  capable  of 
€rring,  can  and  will,  in  case  of  error,  be  easily  detected. 
Take  the  case  of  that  unfortunate  man,  Hyacinthe.  How 
quickly  his  defection  was  discovered,  and  himself  branded. 
While  yet  high  in  favor,  he  made  a  speech  in  Paris,  in  which 
he  said,  there  are  at  present  three  religious  systems  in  the 


ALETHAURION.  77 

tvorld,  viz:  the  Catholic ,  the  Protestant  and  Jewish,  and 
these  three  are  equal  in  the  sight  of  God.  Scarcely  had  the 
words  been  pronounced,  when  a  man  rose  in  the  assembly 
and  said  he  spoke  falsehood — that  a  priest  of  the  Church 
ought  not  to  use  such  language.  The  matter  did  not  end 
there.  Hyacixthe  was  commanded  by  his  superiors  to 
retract.     He  refused,  and  was  cut  oft'. 

What  we  have  said  of  Hyacixthe  may  be  repeated  of  Dol- 
LixGER.  While  the  Ecumenical  Council  was  in  session,  he 
was,  though  secretly,  at  the  head  of  a  party  in  Germany 
opposed  to  the  declaration  of  the  Pope's  infallibility.  But 
his  scheming  did  not  avail.  The  Fathers  of  the  Council^ 
following  the  light  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  declared  that  the 
Pope's  infallibility  is  a  truth  revealed  by  God,  and  hence- 
forth to  be  believed  by  all  Catholics  as  an  article  of  faith. 

It  remained  to  be  seen  whether  Dollixger  would  submit. 
But  the  demon  of  pride  got  the  better  of  him.  He  said  '*  I 
will  not  believe,"  and  he  ceased  to  be  a  Catholic.  He  was, 
nailed  to  the  tree  of  heresy.  From  all  this  it  will  appear  how 
difficult,  even  impossible,  it  is  for  a  man,  who  pretends  to  be 
a  Catholic,  to  remain  in  the  Church  and  publicly  profess^ 
doctrines  which  it  condemns.  There  is  always  at  hand  an 
authority  that  forces  him  either  to   one  side  or  the  other. 

We  have  now  seen  that  the  Roman  Church  is  Universal 
in  point  of  time  and  place,  as  well  as  in  the  belief  of  its 
members  :  It  remains  that  we  examine  the  claims  of  some  of 
the  sects  and  schismatics.  This  will  not  take  long.  On  the 
score  of  time,  there  is  positively  no  sect  nor  schismatic 
society,  that  goes  back,  as  an  organized  body,  to  the  time  of 
Christ.  On  the  score  of  place,  it  is  well  known  there  are 
no  Protestants,  we  mean  natives,  nor  Protestant  Churches ^ 
in  most  countries  of  Asia.  You  might  travel  through  Persia, 
Armenia,  Syria,  in  fact  through  the  greater  part  of  Turkey, 
and  not  find  a  Protestant  Church,  and  no  Protestant,  except 
may  be   Brother  Bibles,  the   English  missionary,  with   his 


78  ALETHAURION. 

ivife  and  family  of  children.  What  we  have  said  of  Pro- 
testants, in  the  Oriental  countries,  maybe  said  of  the  Greeks 
and  other  schismatics  in  the  West — none  universal  in  point 
of  place.  We  deem  it  altogether  unnecessary  to  mention 
the  name  of  any  particular  sect,  for  Protestantism  in  gene- 
ral is  more  extended  than  any  one  of  its  sects.  Hence, 
when  the  whole  does  not  fill  the  bill,  a  part  cannot.  As  to 
sameness  of  belief  among  sects,  we  know  that  a  fundamen- 
tal principle  held  by  all,*  destroys  even  the  hope  of  such  a 
thing. 

In  our  next  we  will  consider  how  the  true  Church  got  the 
name  of  Catholic. 


CHAPTER  XIV.  . 


ABOUT   NAMES. 

> 

In  the  past  chapter  we  considered  the  third  mark  of  the 
true  Church,  viz  :  umversaUty  or  catliolicity ,  We  inquired 
into  its  nature,  and  found  that  any  Church  laying  claim  to 
it,  must  be  catholic  in  point  of  time,  in  point  of  place,  and 
in  the  belief  of  its  members. 

We  then  took  occasion  to  show  that  the  Roman  Church 
goes  back,  as  an  organized  society,  to  the  days  of  Christ 
and  the  Apostles.  This  proves  it  to  be  catholic,  in  point  of 
time.  So  far  as  place  is  concerned,  we  found  it  spread  over 
the  whole  world.  As  to  the  belief  of  its  members,  they 
must  agree  or  cease  to  be  Catholics.  There  is  in  it  a  su- 
preme, infallible  tribunal  commissioned  by  God  to  direct 
men  in  the  way  of  salvation,  and  to  its  decisions  all  must 
bow  who  would  be  saved. 

No  other  Church  is  thus  universal.  They  all  began  to 
exist  at  periods  subsequent  to  the  time  of  the  Apostles. 
Neither  is  any  one  of  them  spread  over  the  whole  world. 
We  have,  in  fact,  some  sects  in  this  country  that  do  not  go 


ALETHAURION.  79 

a  stone's  throw  beyond  the  length  and  breadth  of  the  United 
States.  There  are  others  that  have  members  in  the  British 
dominions  ;  in  this  country,  and  in  parts  of  Germany  ;  but 
no  where  else.  But  it  is  useless  to  repeat  what  every  one 
knows  to  be  a  fact.  TJieye  never  was,  there  is  not,  and  there 
never  luill  he  a  universal  heretical  sect.  Universality  belongs, 
alone,  to  that  Church  which  Christ  founded.  It  alone  sub- 
sists in  all  ages,  teaches  all  nations,  maintains  all  truth. 

Now,  before  passing  on  to  consider  the  fourth  mark,  viz  : 
Apostolicity ,  it  may  not  be  out  of  place  nor  uninteresting, 
that  we  make  a  digression.  We  desire  to  ventihite  certain 
questions  respecting  the  name  of  the  true  Church.  These 
are  : 

First,  How  does  it  happen  that  the  Church,  founded  by 
the  Saviour,  is  called  the  Catltolic? 

Second,  When  did  it,  for  the  first  time,  receive  that 
name,  and  who  gave  it? 

Third,  Is  the  name  Catholic,  an  appropriate  one? 

Fourth,  Could  not  another,  and  a  more  expressive  one, 
be  chosen? 

Let  us  take  these  points  up,  separately,  and  examine  them 
at  our  leisure. 

First,  How  does  it  happen  that  the  Saviour's  Church  is 
called  Catholic^  In  order  to  understand  this,  it  will  be  nec- 
essary to  take  a  glance  at  the  history  of  Christianity,  towards 
the  latter  part  of  the  first  and  the  beginning  of  the  second 
centuries.  Now,  most  persons,  not  read  in  history,  are  apt 
to  think,  that,  before  Luther,  the  Catholic  Church  was  the 
only  one  in  existence.  We  speak  here  of  Christian  organi- 
zations. This  idea  is  true  in  a  general  sense,  but  false,  if 
we  wish  to  be  accurate.  That,  before  Luther's  time,  there 
was  no  other  but  the  Catholic  Church  is  true,  in  the  same 
sense  that  we  now  say,  France  is  a  Catholic  nation.  We 
mean,  thereby,  that  the  vast  majority  of  its  people  profess 
the  Catholic  faith,  and  that  the  influence  of  its  government 
goes  to  support  principles  advocated  by  the  Catholic  Church  ; 


80  ALETHAURION. 

but  we  do  not  deny  thereby,  that  in  France  there  are  many 
infidels  and  heretics.  It  is  in  the  same  sense,  we  say  the 
Catholic  was  the  only  religion  before  the  sixteenth  century. 
We  do  not  at  all  deny  there  were,  even  then,  heretical  sects  ; 
but  they  w^ere  obscure,  and  now  scarcely  deserve  mention. 
The  truth  is,  that,  even  from  the  days  of  the  Apostles,  and 
while  they  were  yet  living,  side  by  side  with  the  good  grain, 
and  flourishing  in  patches  here  and  there,  could  be  found  also 
the  cockle  of  heresy. 

But,  T^e  can  imagine  some  one  in  surprise,  asking,  What  I 
Is  it  possible  that  there  were  heretics  even  while  the  Apos- 
tles were  yet  living?  Well ;  what  foolish  people  they  must 
have  been  !  Why  did  they  not  go  to  Peter,  Ja3IES  or  John, 
and  learn  of  them. 

Yes.  It  was  not  only  possible«for  men  to  run  into  heresy 
in  the  days  of  the  Apostles,  but  it  is  a  fact  that  several  did. 

But,  what  pretext  did  these  men  urge  for  differing  with 
the  Apostles  ? 

The  very  same  that  every  heretic  from  Simon  Magus  to 
Dr.  Dollinger,  has  found  ready  and  at  hand — the  right  to 
think  and  decide  for  themselves  on  all  religious  questions  ; 
the  right  of  setting  up  their  own  private  judgment  against 
the  authority  of  the  Church. 

Those  heretics  that  lived  in  the  days  of  the  Apostles, 
gave  as  reasons  for  differing  with  them,  that  the  Apostles 
being  simple,  ignorant  men,  did  not  understand  thoroughly 
what  Christ  taught.  It  so  happened,  however,  that  though 
the  Apostles,  in  the  opinion  of  these  wise  heretics,  were  sim- 
ple and  ignorant,  by  far  the  greater  number, •converted  from 
paganism  as  well  as  Judaism,  stood  with  them,  whereas  our 
heretical  Solomons  had  but  few  followers. 

Now,  as  difference  in  belief  naturally  gives  rise  to  destinc- 
tions  in  name,  hence,  even  at  this  early  period,  there  was  call 
for  a  term,  to  distinguish  the  assembly  of  the  faithful  from 
those  vain  and  conceited  heretics.  What  name  then  was 
best  to  be  chosen?     That  of  Christian  would  not  do,  for  the 


ALETHAURION .  .81 

f 

heretics  pretendQcl  also  to  be  Christians,  and  were  so  called 
by  their  pagan  neighbors.  The  name  Disciple  would  not  do, 
for  the  same  reason.  The  heretics  contended  they  were, 
themselves,  the  true  Disciples  of  the  Saviour,  because  they 
understood  the  true  meanins;  of  his  doctrines. 

Hence,  there  was  need  of  a  icord^  one  that  would,  for  all 
time  to  come,  distinguish  the  Saviour's  Church  from  every 
human  institution.  That  loord  should  express  a  peculiarity 
of  the  true  fold,  that  no  sect  could  lay  claim  to  without  a 
manifest  lie. 

Now,  what  was  there  about  the  Church  that  acknowledged 
the  Apostles  as  teachers,  which  none  of  the  sects  of  that  day 
could  pretend  to  ?  It  was  this.  The  Church  of  the  Apostles 
was  spread  over  the  civilized  world,  whereas,  the  heretical 
sects  were  confined  to  particular  kingdoms,  or  single  cities. 
Hence,  from  the  very  nature  of  the  case,  the  Church  that 
held  to  the  Apostles  was  called  the  Universal  or  Catholic 
Churchy  whereas  each  sectarian  conventicle  was  called  by 
the  name  of  its  founder,  or  after  the  town  or  city  where  it 
first  started,  or  had  the  greatest  number  of  members. 

This  was  how  it  happened  that  the  true  Church  received 
the  name  of  Catholic. 

Now,  we  may  wonder  exceedingly  how  men,  in  the  days 
of  the  Apostles,  could  have  been  guilty  of  such  folly  as  to 
turn  their  backs  on  Sts.  Peter  and  Paul,  and  others  who 
worked  miracles  and  led  most  holy  lives,  to  follow  monte- 
banks  like  Simon  Magus,  and  other  heresiarchs  of  primitive 
times.  Yet  on  reflection,  this  is  no  more  strange  than  what 
takes  place  at  the  present  day,  under  our  own  eyes.  Do 
not  men  now  become  Free  Masons,  Mormons,  Campbellities, 
Methodists,  Presbyterians,  Baptists,  etc.,  even  though  they 
have  had  the  experience  of  eighteen  centuries  before  them, 
and  the  most  refulgent  proofs  of  the  divine  origin  of  the 
Catholic  Church  shining  wherever  the  eye  is  turned  ? 

In  the  next  chapter  w^e  will  take  up  point  No.  2,  viz  : 
When  and  by  whom  the  true  Church  was  called  Catholic. 


82  ALETHAURION, 


CHAPTER  XVII. 


ABOUT  NAMES. 

When,  and  by  whom,  was  the  true  Church  called  Catho- 
lic? We  have  already  partly  answered  this  in  chapter  xvi. 
It  was  so  called  by  the  Apostles.  But,  have  we  any  posi- 
tive proof  of  the  fact  from  history?  We  have.  It  is  found 
in  the  Creed,  and,  every  time  we  repeat  it,  we  come  over 
the  words,  "I  believe  in  the  holy  Catholic  Church.''' 

Now,  though  all  know  the  Apostle's  creed,  but  few,  prob- 
ably, while  repeating  the  words,  reflect  upon  its  historical 
importance.  The  creed  of  the  Apostles,  is  so  called  for  two 
reasons  : 

First,  To  distinguish  it  from  that  of  St.  Athanasius,  as 
also  from  the  Nicene  creed. 

Second,  Because  the  Apostles  composed  it. 

Should  we  succeed  in  establishing  this  fact,  we  would 
have  no  further  need  of  proof  to  show  that  they  gave  the 
name  of  Catholic  to  the  true  Church. 

As  to  whether  the  Apostles  were  the  authors  of  the  creed, 
or  not,  is  a  question  of  fact,  and  we  may  weigh  it  in  the  bal- 
ance, as  we  would  others  of  the  same  kind.  The  proofs  for 
or  against  the  genuinity  of  any  document,  may  be  chissed 
under  two  heads,  viz  :  Intrinsic  and  extrinsic  evidences. 

Intrinsic  evidence,  is  that  found  in  the  document  itself. 
Thus,  if  one  should,  at  the  present  day,  find  an  old  manu- 
script letter  in  bad  Latin,  with  Cicero's  name  to  it,  the  fact 
of  the  Latin  being  faulty  would  be  an  intrinsic  proof  that 
Cicero  did  not  write  it. 

Extrinsic  evidence  of  a  fact  is  that  which  is  gathered  from 
the  writings  of  contemporary  authors,  or  other  public  monu- 
ments. Thus,  that  Lord  Nelson  fell  at  the  battle  of  Tra- 
falo^ar,  we  know  from  writers  who  lived  at  the  time  he  died 


ALETHAURION.  83 

and  from  monuments  erected  to  his  me|;nory,  that  bear  tes- 
timony beyond  all  suspicion,  to  the  fact. 

So  far  as  instrinsic  evidence  is  concerned,  we  certainly  can 
not  prove  the  Apostles  wrote  the  creed,  which  goes  by  that 
name.  It  could  have  been  composed  a  century  after  their 
death,  by  any  one  who  knew  what  they  taught.  But,  while 
we  willingly  admit  this,  we,  at  the  same  time,  maintain  there 
is  nothing  in  the  creed  itself  to  show  that  they  did  not  com- 
pose it.  On  the  contrary,  its  doctrines  are  the  same  as  those 
set  forth  in  the  Scriptures  of  the  New  Testament,  of  whose 
authority  there  never  has  been  a  doubt. 

What  we  may  not  be  able,  however,  to  effect  by  intrinsic 
we  may  very  readily  accomplish  by  extrinsic  evidence.  To 
this  we  now  invite  attention.  The  first  whose  testimony  we 
introduce  is  Irexeus.  He  was  a  disciple  of  Polycarp, 
bishop  of  Smyrna,  and  consequently  had  abundant  oppor- 
tunities of  knowing  the  exact  truth  of  that  whereof  he  spoke, 
for  Polycarp  was  the  companion  and  disciple  of  the  Apos- 
tle JoHx.  Irexeus  suffered  martydom  in  the  year  202, 
hence  his  testimony  belongs  to  the  latter  half  of  the  second 
century.  He  wrote  a  treatise,  in  twenty-four  books,  against 
the  heresies  of  his  day,  and  we  quote  his  words  found  in 
book  1,  chapter  2,  of  this  work : 

'•The  Church  planted  throughout  the  whole  world,  even  to  the  ends  of 
the  oiirtli,  has  received  from  the  Apostles  and  their  disciples,  that  belief, 
which  is  in  one  God,  Father  Almighty, ^^  etc. 

No  one  requires  to  be  told  that  the  words  given   in  italics 

are  those  of  the  creed.     The  next  from  w4iom  we  quote  is 

Tertulliax.     He  was  a  priest  of  Carthage,  and  died  about 

the  year  245.     He  wrote  treatises  on  a  variety  of  subjects, 

from  one  of  which,  de  Prescrip  Hoer,  chapter  37,  we  take 

the  following : 

"We  walk  by  that  rule,  which  the  Church,  from  the  Apostles,  the  Apos- 
tles from  Christ,  Christ  from  God,  has  given." 

Now,  by  the  word  rule^  regula,  Tertullian   means  the 

creeds  as  he  explains  in  portions  of  his  other  works.     See 


84  ALETHAURION. 

Chap.  I,  de  Veland.  Yirg.  As  we  do  not  wish  to  multiply 
quotations  from  the  Fathers  in  short  and  elementary  essays 
like  these,  we  must  content  ourselves  with  giving  only  one 
more,  which  we  clip  from  the  works  of  Ambrose,  Bishop  of 
Milan.  In  his  seventh  epistle,  which  is  to  Pope  Siricius, 
he  says :  '*The  creed  of  the  Ajjostles,  which  the  Roman 
Church  always  guards  and  preserves  pure,  is  to  be  be- 
lieved." This  testimony  belongs  to  the  latter  half  of  the 
fourth  century. 

We  could  give  scores  of  other  quotations  from  the 
Fathers,  all  going  to  show  that  the  belief  of  the  Church 
from  the  beginning  is,  that  the  creed,  of  which  we  are 
sjDcaking,  was  composed  directly  by  the  Apostles. 

Since,  then,  the  Apostles  are  the  authors  of  the  creed,  it 
follows  that  it  was  they,  and  no  others,  gave  the  name  of 
CatJwUc  to  the  Church.  Now,  if  any  one  should  deny  that 
the  creed  was  composed  by  the  Apostles,  historical  fairness 
would  require  that  he  should  give  a  satisfactory  explanation 
of  how  it  came  to  be  universally  believed  in  the  Church, 
from  the  earliest  times,  that  they  were  its  authors. 

We  have  given  the  names  of  only  a  few  of  the  more  an- 
cient waiters  who  mention  it,  and  these  merely  allude  to  a 
fact,  that  appeared  to  have  been  well  understood,  and 
universally  received  in  their  day.  We  could  give  the  testi- 
mony of  other  writers,  such  as  that  of  Ruffinus,  much  more 
explicit,  but  we  prefer  the  more  ancient. 

Now,  some  one  may  say  :  Do  we  not  read  in  the  scrip- 
tures that  the  Disciples  of  our  Lord  were  first  called 
Christians  at  Antioch?  Consequently,  the  Church  founded 
by  the  Saviour  must  have  been  called  the  Christian  Church. 
Why,  then  go  on  saying  it  was  called  Catholic  by  the 
Apostles,  when  there  are  such  clear  scriptural  proofs  to  the 
contrary  ? 

We  trust,  with  a  little  patience  on  the  part  of  the  reader, 
to  make  it  clear  that  there  is  nothiiig,  whatever,  in  the. 
scripture  that  contradicts  what  we  have  said. 


ALETHAURION.  85 

The  word  Christian  occurs  three,  and  only  three,  times  in 
the  New  Testament.  Let  us  take  up  these  passages  and 
consider  the  circumstances  of  each  case. 

First — In  Acts  xi,  26,  mention  is  made  of  the  fact  that 
Paul  and  Barnabas,  having  remained  a  year  at  Antioch, 
taught  so  great  a  multitude,  that  the  Disciples  were  there,  for 
the  first  time,  called  CJunstiaiis,  Now  comes  the  question  : 
By  whom  vfQVQ  ihey  so  called?  Was  it  by  the  Apostles? 
Evidently  not.  For,  if  they  had  given  the  name,  it  could  not 
have  been  said  the  Disciples  were  called,  but  they  took  the 
name  Christians.  "Who  then  gave  the  name?  It  must  have 
come  from  either  a  Jewish  or  a  Pagan  source.  The  Jews 
would  never  have  given  it,  for  it  would  have  been  a  clear 
acknowledgement  that  Jesus  was  the  Christ.  A  fact  which 
they  did  not  then  admit,  nor  do  they  now. 

It  was  no  other  than  the  Pagan  Greeks  of  Antioch  that 
succeeded  in  fastening  the  excellent  nickname,  as  they 
thought,  of  Christians,  on  the  followers  of  the  Saviour. 
The  idea  was  to  bring  ridicule  and  disgrace  by  that  name,  on 
the  assembly  of  the  faithful. 

Crucifixion,  in  ancient  times,  was  a  punishment  inflicted 
only  on  the  worst  criminals  and  the  meanest  slaves.  The 
Pagans  of  Antioch  knew  that  Christ  had  been  crucified  by 
the  Jews  ;  hence,  as  they  heartily  hated  his  followers,  they 
wished  them  to  be  generally  known  by  the  name  of  a  public 
malefactor. 

Let  it  be  borne  in  mind  then,  that  it  was  not  the  Apostles 
but  the  Pagans  that  first  gave  the  name  of  Christians  to  the 
Saviour's  Disciples.  It  does  not  even  appear,  from  this  place 
that  the  name  was  accepted  by  those  to  whom  it  was  given. 

The  second  ^Dassage  of  scripture  in  which  the  word  Chris- 
tian occurs  is  to  be  found  in  the  same  book  of  Acts,  xxvi, 
27.  Paul  there  explains,  in  the  presence  of  King  Agrippa, 
how  he  became  a  follower  of  Jesus  of  Nazareth.  Towards 
the  close  of  his  discourse,  the  King  said:  "Thou  almost 
persuadest  me  to  become  a  Christian.''      Let  it  be  observed, 


86  ALETHAURION. 

also,  that  it  is  an  unbeliever  who  here  makes  use  of  the 
word.  Neither  have  we  any  evidence  going  to  show  that 
Paul  accepts  the  name  given,  by  this  King,  to  himself  and  hi^ 
brethren  in  the  faith.  **Would  to  God,"  said  he,  "that  in 
little  and  in  much  not  only  thou,  but  also  all  that  hear  me 
this  day,  should  become  as  I  also  am,  except  these  chains." 

The  natural  way  of  answering  the  King's  remark,  on  this 
occasion,  would  have  been,  to  say ;  *'  I  would  to  God  that 
not  only  thou,  but  all,  etc.,  would  become  Christians.'^  But 
Paul  knew  in  what  sense  the  King,  and  the  pagans  gener- 
ally, used  the  word,  hence  he  does  not  repeat  it. 

It  must  be  admitted,  however,  that  after  this  name  of 
Christian  had  got  into  general  use  among  the  pagans,  the 
Apostles  accepted  it,  in  what  we  may  call  its  generic  sense. 
This  will  appear  evident  from  a  glance  at  chap,  iv,  1st  Ep. 
of  Peter.  After  exhorting  the  faithful  to  lead  holy  lives, 
he  says:  *'Let  none  of  you  suffer  as  a  homicide  or  as  a 
thief,  but  if  as  a  Christian  let  him  not  blush,  but  let  him 
glorify  God  in  that  name." 

Here  also  plain  allusion  is  made  to  the  pagan  use  of  the 
word.  From  all  this  it  must  appear  evident  that  there  is 
nothing  whatever  in  the  scriptures  that,  in  the  least,  contra- 
dicts what  we  have  said  about  the  true  Church  having  been 
called  Catholic  by  the  Apostles.  The  truth  is,  that,  from 
the  very  commencement,  the  true  Church  has  had  two  names  ; 
the  one  Christian,  given  by  the  pagans,  it  enjoys  in  common 
with  the  heretical  sects  ;  the  other,  Catholic^  given  by  the 
Apostles,  it  never  has,  and  never  will  share  with  any  other. 

In  our  next  we  will  consider  the  question :  Is  the  name 
Catholic  an  appropriate  one  for  the  true  fold. 


ALETHAURION.  87 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 


ABOUT  NAMES. 

Is  the  name  Catholic  an  appropriate  one  for  the  true 
Church?  We  took  occasion  to  show,  in  the  chaiDterxvii,  that 
it  was  the  Apostles  who  first  gave  it.  From  this  alone,  we 
may,  with  the  utmost  confidence,  conclude  that  it  must  be  a 
good  one.  We,  Catholics,  do  not  seek  for  any  better  authority 
than  that  of  the  Apostles.  What  they  did  and  said,  is  law 
and  gospel  to  us.  We  might,  then,  after  having  shown  that 
the  Apostles  gave  the  name,  let  the  matter  rest. 

But,  that  the  reader  may  catch  a  glimpse  of  the  wisdom 
displayed  in  the  selection  of  this  peculiar  word,  we  will  state 
a  few  facts  and  principles  connected  with  the  system  of 
nomenclature  in  general. 

About  the  first  example  in  history,  of  the  giving  of  names, 
is  to  be  found  in  the  second  chapter  of  Genesis.  It  is  there 
said  that  God  caused  all  the  animals,  which  He  had  created, 
to  pass  before  Adam,  and  that  he  gave  each  a  name.  Now, 
though  not  stated  for  fact,  it  is  probable  that  Adam  did  not 
give  names  that  were  arbitrary.  It  is  more  than  likely  that 
the  term  chosen  by  him,  as  the  name  of  each  animal  respect- 
ively, expressed  a  peculiarity  or  distinguishing  trait  thereof. 
Thus,  we  should  suppose  he  gave  the  lion  a  name  expressive 
of  courage  and  strength  ;  the  fox  one  expressive  of  cunning. 
That  this  w^as  the  system  adopted,  may  be  gathered  from 
the  fact,  that,  a  short  time  after,  he  gave  the  name  of  Eva 
to  the  woman  that  God  had  created  as  his  helper  and 
companion. 

Now  the  word  Eva^  in  the  Hebrew  and  Chaldaic  languages, 
signifies  living,  and,  it  is  stated,  in  express  words,  verse  20, 
chapter  iii,  of  Genesis,  that  she  was  so  called,  **  because  she 
was  the  mother  of  all  the  living.'* 


88  ALETHAURIOX. 

Moreover,  we  know  that  most  of  the  names  given  to  men, 
in  the  Old  Testament,  especially  in  the  primitive  ages,  are 
not  arbitrary,  but  rather  expressive  of  some  circumstance  of 
their  birth,  or  destiny  they  were  to  fulfill.  Thus,  the  great 
Jewish  lawgiver,  Moses,  was  so  called,  because  saved  from 
the  waters  of  the  Nile.  The  word  Moses  signifies  saved  froin 
water.  Isaac,  which  means  laughter,  was  the  name  given 
the  son  of  Abraham,  because  his  mother  laughed,  on  hear- 
in":  from  the  ans^el  that  she  should  brins:  forth  a  son  in  her 
old  age.  Jacob,  which  means  supplanter,  was  the  title  given 
the  second  son  of  Isaac,  because  he  supplanted  his  brother 
Esau. 

Omitting  scores  of  the  other  names  found  in  the  Old  Tes- 
tament, which  are  expressive  of  facts  past,  or  future  des- 
tinies, we  know  from  the  New  Testament,  that  the  venerable 
name  of  Jesus,  meaning  a  saviour,  was  given  to  our  Lord, 
because  He  was,  by  his  death  and  passion,  to  redeem  and 
save  mankind. 

Not  only  among  the  people  of  God  was  this  system  of  no- 
menclature followed  ;  wo  find  it  also  greatly  in  vogue  among 
the  pagans.  The  celebrated  Ronnin  dictator,  Cincinnatus, 
was  so  called  because  he  was  a  curly  head.  The  great  epic 
poet  of  Greece,  who  was  at  one  time  called  Hermogexes, 
had  his  name  changed  to  Homeros,  by  his  countrymen,  after 
he  had  grow^n  old  and  ran  blind.  O  Meros,  in  Greek,  sig- 
nifies the  blind  mail. 

This  system  of  name -giving,  which  is  in  fact  the  most 
perfect,  arising  as  it  does  from  the  nature  and  circumstan- 
ces of  each  case,  has  never  been  totally  abandoned. 
Yet,  in  modern  times,  a  more  arbitrary  system  has  generally 
been  adopted.  Nevertheless,  even  now,  the  old  svstem  of 
nomenclature  is  carried  out  in  what  are  called  nicknames. 
These  are,  in  many  cases,  very  expressive  and  truly  amus- 
ing. 

Some  years  ago,  while  the  writer  of  this  was  a  student  at 
a  certain  college  in  this  country,  there  was  in  the  institution 


ALETHAURION.     •  89 

at  the  same  time,  a  young  man  who  wont  by  the  name  of 
jS7U2)e.  It  was  impossible  to  look  at  him  and  not  laugh. 
His  nose,  which  was  by  far  the  most  conspicuous  of  his  fea- 
tures, was  long,  thin,  and  pointed.  His  eyes,  head,  and 
neck  also  looked  snipish.  After  a  time,  we  learned  that  his 
real  name  was  Smith,  which  same  bit  of  knowledge  was  a 
great  relief,  considering  the  fact,  that  we  could  never  look 
the  fellow  straight  in  the  face,  and  sny  Mr.  Sxipe,  without 
bursting.  Now,  this  young  man.  Smith,  struggled  manfully 
for  from  five  to  six  months  against  the  name.  But  all  to  no 
purpose  ;  like  the  fly  in  the  spider's  web,  the  more  he 
•struggled  against  it,  the  closer  it  stuck  to  him.  He  finally 
had  to  yield,  so  that,  in  our  time,  he  would  answer  to  no 
other  name  than  Snipe. 

As  it  happened  to  this  young  man,  so  has  it  to  most  of 
the  sects  of  our  times.  Nearly  all  of  them  wear  nicknames. 
They  go  by  titles  which  the  malice  of  their  enemies  first  im- 
posed on  them,  and  which  they  were  themselves,  in  the 
coarse  of  time,- by  the  logic  of  facts,  obliged  to  accept. 

Let  us  take  a  few  examples.  The  members  of  the  Church 
of  England  are,  at  the  present  day,  called  Episcopalians. 
Now,  in  the  beginning,  they  greatly  desired  to  be  called 
(Jatholics,  and  were  opposed  to  any  other  name.  When 
Hexry  Vni  quarrelled  with  the  Pope,  he  did  not  wish  to 
change  his  own  religion,  nor  that  of  his  subjects.  All  he 
aimed  at  was  to  cut  off  the  Pope,  and  become  head  of  the 
Church  in  England.  But  Hexry  attempted  an  impossibility. 
No  one  can  be  a  Catholic  who  does  not  admit  the  Pope's 
jurisdiction. 

Hence,  as  there  arose  a  difference  in  faith,  a  different 
name  came  also  into  existence.  At  what  exact  time  the 
Church  of  England  got  the  name  of  Episcopal,  we  are  not 
now  prepared  to  say.  It  was  probably  not  until  there  arose 
dissenters,  who  denied  the  authority  of  the  bishops,  and 
modeled  their  Chui^h  government  according  to  the  Presby- 
terian plan. 


90  ALETHAURION. 

As  to  the  word  preshyterian,  applied  to  one  of  the  hereti- 
cal sects  of  our  time,  it  comes  from  the  Latin  word  presbi/- 
ter,  a  priest.  The  members  of  the  sect  in  question  main- 
tain that  a  priest  is  the  highest  officer  in  the  Church,  and, 
because  they  made  such  a  noise  about  it,  they  were  nick- 
named Presbyterians,  a  title  which  stuck  to  them,  as  Snipe 
did  to  Smith. 

The  Methodists  are  so  called,  on  account  of  the  methodi- 
cal life,  said  to  have  been  led  by  the  founder  of  the  sect, 
John  Wesley.  In  1729  Mr.  Wesley,  who  was  then  one  of 
the  Fellows  in  Lincohi  College,  Oxford,  took  it  into  his 
head  that,  so  far  as  religion  w^as  concerned,  the  whole  world 
had  gone,  and  was  going  wrong.  So,  in  company  with 
fourteen  others,  he  began  to  lengthen  his  face,  turn  up  the 
whites  of  his  eyes,  and  give  other  indications  of  religious 
plethory.  Their  strict  deportment  soon  attracted  the  atten- 
tion of  the  students,  and  this  little  squad  of  fourteen  was 
christened  ^'the  godly  dub.''  This  name,  however,  did  not 
cling,  for  they  soon  got  that  of  Methodists  ;  the  one  by  which 
their  followers  are  known  at  the  present  day. 

There  is,  also,  a  sect  that  counts  a  good  many  members 
in  the  State  of  Kentucky,  in  the  mountains  of  Virginia,  and 
in  Missouri,  that  does  not,  as  yet,  appear  to  have  a  fixed 
name  to  go  by.  The  one  we  allude  to,  is  called  by  some, 
the  Reformed  Church  ;  by  others  the  members  are  dubbed 
Campbellites  ;  others,  again,  call  them  disciples  ;  they,  them- 
selves, prefer  to  be  called  Christians. 

This  sect,  as  an  organization,  dates  back  as  far  as  the 
year  1827.  An  Irishman,  named  Alexander  Campbell, 
with  his  father,  Tho^sias  Campbell,  Walter  Scott,  W.  B. 
Stone,  and  some  others,  appear  to  have  been  the  founders. 

Campbell  was  first  a  Presbyterian ;  but  after  having 
immigrated  to  this  country,  he  joined  the  Baptists,  with 
whom  he  did  not  long  remain.  But,  whether  the  Baptists 
excommunicated  him,  or  he  the  Baptists ^are  questions,  that. 


ALETHAURION.  91 

up  to  the  present  time,  we  have  not  had  the  leisure  to  in- 
vestii>:ate. 

The  followers  of  Mr.  Campbell  object  to  being  called 
Campbellites.  Yet,  we  give  it  as  our  opinion,  that  if  the 
sect  should  exist  for  any  considerable  time,  say  from  fifty 
to  seventy-five  years,  that  is,  in  all  probability,  the  name  by 
which  it  will  be  known. 

Most  of  the  members  of  the  other  sects  appear  to  have 
taken  a  fancy  to  that  name,  and,  as  in  the  case  of  the  boy 
Snipe,  they  will  in  the  end  succeed  in  fastening  it  where  it 
belongs.  With  these  general  observations,  on  the  philoso- 
phy of  naming,  we  return  to  the  original  question  : 

Is  Catholic  a  good  appellation  for  the  Saviour's  Church? 
We  reply,  a  more  appropriate  one  could  not  possibly  have 
been  selected.  It  is  in  accordance  with  the  oldest  and  most 
perfect  system  of  nomenclature.  It  expresses  a  destiny 
which  the  true  Church  was,  and  is,  to  fulfill,  viz :  To  teach 
all  nations,  and  to  remain  in  existence  until  the  end  of  time. 
*'Going  forth,"  says  the  Saviour  to  its  first  bishops,  *'teach 
all  nations,  *  *  *  I  am  with  you  all  days,  even  to  the  con- 
summation of  the  world." — Matthew  xviii,  20. 

The  name  Catholic,  moreover,  is  such  that  no  existing 
sect  can  lay  claim  to  it,  and  have  even  the  shadow  of  reason 
on  its  side.  They  all  began  at  various  periods  subsequent 
to  the  time  of  the  Apostles.  We  speak  of  the  sects  now  in 
existence;  Hence  there  is  a  want  of  universality,  in  point 
of  time,  and  no  possibility  of  remedying  the  defect.  As  to 
universality  in  point  of  place,  judging  from  the  past,  sooner 
will  we  hear  Gabriel's  trump  than  the  news  of  a  universal 
sect. 

In  our  next  we  will  consider  the  question,  Could  not  a 
name  more  appropriate  than  Catholic,  be  found  for  the  true 
Church? 


92  ALETHAURION 


CHAPTER  XIX, 


ABOUT  NAMES. 

Could  not  some  other  name  more  appropriate  than  Cath- 
olic^ be  found,  as  an  appellation  for  the  true  Church?  Let 
us  examii^e  the  scriptures  of  the  New  Testament  and  see  if 
we  cannot  find  a  better.  Now,  in  the  xv  chap,  of  St.  John's 
gospel,  we  read  that  the  Saviour  called  the  Apostles  Friends: 
"I  will  not  call  you  servants,"  says  He,  '*for  the  servant 
knows  not  what  his  master  doth,  but  I  have  called  you 
friends,  because  all  things  whatsoever  I  have  heard  of  my 
Father,  I  have  made  known  to  you."  Here  then  we  have 
a  name,  given  by  the  highest  authority  that  was  ever  on 
earth,  to  the  assembly  of  the  faithful ;  composed  at  that 
time  of  the  Apostles.  Would  it  not  be  proper,  then,  that 
we  should  drop  the  word  Catholic  and  call  ourselves  the 
Society  of  Friends.  There  is,  in  fact,  a  sect,  the  members 
of  which  desire  to  be  called  by  that  name.  But  the  malice 
of  their  enemies  has  fastened  on  them  that  other  one  of 
QuaJcers,  by  which  they  are  most  generally  known. 

A  slight  examination,  however,  of  the  text  in  question, 
will  convince  us  that  the  Saviour,  on  that  occasion,  had  no 
intention  of  giving  such  a  name  to  His  Church.  I. call  you 
friends,  says  He  to  the  Apostles,  because  all  things  1  have 
heard  of  my  Father  I  have  made  known  to  you.  The  words 
were  evidently  addressed  to  the  Apostles  exclusively.  Be- 
sides, we  know  that  He  called  Judas  His  friend,  even  after 
the  wretch  had  betrayed  Him.  Now,  as  a  name  ought  to  be 
such  as  to  include  all,  and  as  the  word  friends  is  applied 
only  to  a  few,  via  :  those  to  whom  the  Saviour  had  in  a  spe- 
cial manner  revealed  the  will  of  His  Father,  it  is  evident 
that  He  did  not  intend  it  as  the  word  by  which  His  follow- 
ers, one  and  all,  were  to  be  known. 


ALETHAURION.  93 

Moreover,  the  name  is  too  indefinite.  All  who  believe  in 
Christ  pretend  to  be  his  friends. 

There  is  another  word,  also  frequently  used  in  the  scrip- 
tures, especially  in  the  writings  of  Paul,  to  designate  the 
assembly  of  the  faithful.  It  is  that  of  Saints.  In  Philip- 
pians  iv,  the  Apostle  says:  **  All  the  saints  salute  you." 
Why  not  follow  the  example  of  Paul  and  call  ourselves 
Saints,  instead  of  Catholics?  There  are  others  of  our  day 
who  are  far  ahead  of  us  in  this  particular.  We  refer  to  the 
Mormons,  who  call  themselves  Saints  of  these  latter  days. 
Before  deciding  on  a  change,  however,  we  should  bear  in 
mind  that  the  name  of  any  society  ought  to  be  such  as  to 
exclude  none  who  really  belong  to  it  ?  Now,  are  all  the  mem- 
bers of  the  true  Church  saints?  We  think  not.  All,  are 
indeed  called  to  be  saints.  But  there  is  a  vast  difference 
between  being  called  to  be  saints,  and  being  saints.  Neither 
the  Saviour  Himself,  nor  any  of  his  Apostles,  has  given  us^ 
to  understand  that  all  the  members  of  His  Church  militant 
would  be  entirely  sinless.  "The  kingdom  of  heaven  is  lik- 
ened to  a  net  cast  into  the  sea  gathering  together  all  man- 
ner of  fishes."  Matt,  xiii,  47.  As  in  that  net  there  were 
bad  and  good  fishes,  so  in  the  Church,  there  will  be  saints 
and  sinners  until  the  end  of  time.  Daily  experience  shows 
us  how  liable  to  fall  are  even  men  of  the  best  intentions. 
They  may  be  compared  to  old  garments — one  rent  is  scarcely 
patched  up  when  a  new  one  calls  for  attention.  And  blessed  is 
the  man  who,  like  the  publican  in  the  Gospel,  calls  himself 
a  sinner,  and  asks  God  to  be  merciful  to  him,  whilst  ac- 
cursed is  he,  who,  like  the  proud  pharisee,  esteems  himself 
a  saint,  when  God  at  the  same  time  may  have  rendered 
quite  a  different  judgment. 

We  pass  by  many  other  names  mentioned  iu  the  scriptures, 
such  as  Church  q/GoD,  Church  of  the  living  God,  doers  of 
the  word^  <&c.  Let  us  consider  briefly  the  name  Disciples^ 
or  Disciples  of  Christ.  The  word  Disciples  occurs  259 
times  in  the  New  Testament,  and  is  used  to  desi<niate,  either 


94  ALETHAURION. 

the  followers  of  John  the  Baptist,  or  those  of  the  Saviour. 
Would  it  not  then,  be  meet,  just,  and  proper,  that  we  should 
lay  aside  the  name  of  Catholic,  and  take  unto  ourselves  the 
unctious  appellation  of  Disciples  of  Christ? 

In  order  to  give  a  right  answer  to  this  question  it  will  be 
necessary  to  take  into  consideration  the  meaning  of  the 
w^ord  Disciple,  in  connection  with  certain  facts  mentioned 
in  the  New  Testament.  The  English  word  Disciples  is  from 
the  Latin  discipulus,  and  that  from  the  verb  discere  which 
means  to  learn.  A  Disciple  then  means  nothing  more  nor 
less  than  one  who  is  learning,  and  is  correlative  to  magister, 
a  master  or  teacher. 

The  same  distinction  may  be  observed  in  the  Greek,  the 
language  in  which  all  the  books  6i  the  New  Testament,  if 
we  except  Matthew's  gospel,  were  originally  written.  The 
word  mathetes,  is  used,  in  the  language  we  speak  of  for  dis- 
ciple, and  it  means  exactly  what  discipilus  does  in  Latin 
a  learner.  Its  correlative  is  didaskalos,  a  master  or  teacher. 
Now,  a  man  may  be  said  to  remain  a  Disciple,  or  learner, 
until  such  time  as  he  knows  all  his  master  is  able  to  impart, 
in  the  way  of  information.  When  he  has  got  that  far,  he 
can  then  no  longer  be  called  a  learner,  but  maybe  considered 
learned.  Furthermore,  if  his  master  should  send  him  to 
teach  others,  he  has  then  clearly  the  right,  not  only  to  cast 
aside  the  title  of  mathetes,  or  Disciple,  but  to  assume  that 
of  didaskalos  or  teacher. 

Now  arises  the  question :  Did  there  come  a  period  in  the 
life-time  of  the  Apostles,  when  they  ceased  to  be  learners, 
or  in  other  words.  Disciples,  and  began  to  be  masters  and 
teachers  themselves?  A  slight  examination  of  some  few  pas- 
sages of  scripture  will  convince  us  that  such  was  the   case. 

In  John  XV,  Christ  says  to  the  Apostles,  **  All  things 
whatsoever  I  have  heard  of  my  Father,  I  have  made  known 
to  you."  The  Saviour  had  then,  evidently,  communicated 
to  them  all  that  knowledge  which  He  had  received  from  the 
Father.     We  speak   here,  of  course,  only   of   those  truths 


ALETHAURION.  95 

which  the  Eternal  Father  had  commissioned  His  Son  to 
teach  mankind.  Christ  did  not  communicate  all  His  knowl- 
edge to  the  Apostles  ;  that  would  have  been  impossible. 

Along  with  this  we  read  in  the  same  gospel,  xx  chap.,  the 
words  :  "As  the  Father  hath  sent  me,  so  also  I  send  you." 
Now  the  Eternal  Father  had  sent  our  Lord  with  a  full  and 
complete  knowledge  of  all  the  truths  which  it  is  expedient 
for  man  to  know,  in  order  to  be  saved.  The  Apostles 
learned  all  these  from  Him. 

In  chap,  xiv,  of  the  same  book,  we  read. 

"The  Paraclete,  the  Holy  Spirit,  whom  the  father  will  send  in  my 
name,  he  will  teach  you  all  things,  and  bring  to  your  recollection  what- 
soever I  shall  have  said  to  you." 

From  these  various  scriptures  it  is  clear  that  the  Apostles, 
at  least  after  the  Holy  Ghost  had  descended  upon  them, 
had  ceased  to  be  Disciples^  or  learners,  and  had  become,  in 
a  word,  learned.  But,  not  only  did  they  cease  to  be  Disci- 
ples, they  became  masters,  or  teachers.  "Go  forth,"  says 
the  Saviour  to  them,  "and  teach  all  nations."  Matt,  xviii, 
19. 

In  fact  St.  Paul,  though  not  one  of  the  twelve,  yet 
an  Apostle,  calls  himself,  ii  Tim.  i  chap.,  "a  teacher  of  the 
nations." 

We  have  not  an  example,  out  of  the  259  cases  spoken  of, 
where  an  Apostle,  after  the  day  of  Pentecost,  styles  him- 
self, or  is  styled  by  others*,  a  Disci])le.  Whenever  they  are 
so  called,  allusion  is  made  to  circumstances  in  their  lives, 
anterior  to  the  descent  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  It  would  be 
as  contrary  to  the  ordinary  use  of  language  among  men,  to 
style  them  Disciples,  after  they  had  learned  all  their  master 
could  teach,  as  it  would  be  to  call  Rev.  Ichabod  Skeggs, 
Professor  at  the  Academy  of  Tadpoleville,  a  school  boy. 

Since  these  things  are  so — it  is  plain  that  the  term  Disci- 
ples will  not  do  as  a  name  for  the  assembly  of  the  faith- 
ful.    We  can  take  no  appellation  that  would  exclude  the 


96  ALETHAURION. 

Apostles.     They,  too,  were  members  of  the  true  Church — its 
first  doctors. 

In  our  next  we  will  take  up  the  word  "Christian.'' 


CHAPTER   XX. 


ABOUT    NA3IES. 

Could  not  a  name  more  appropriate  than  Catholic,  be 
chosen  for  the  true  Church?  In  the  last  chapter  we  took  up 
some  titles,  that,  at  first  sight,  appeared  to  have  scriptural 
support,  Imt  which,  on  closer  examination  we  found  defective. 
In  the  present,  we  purpose  weighing  the  claims  of  the  word 
Christian.  Now,  as  Christ  is  confessedly  the  founder  of 
the  true  Church,  is  it  not  right  and  just  that  it  should  be  called 
after  him  ?  Let  us  then  put  the  question  fairly  :  Which  is 
the  better  name  for  the  Church,  that  of  Catholic^  or  that  of 
Christian?  In  reply,  we  pursue  the  method  said  to  have 
been  much  practiced  by  that  celebrated  Athenian  philoso- 
pher, Socrates,  ancl  which  is  called  after  him  the  Socratic 
method.  We  will  answer  the  question  by  asking  another. 
Take  a  man  whose  name  is  John  Smith  ;  which  is  the  better 
name  for  the  individual  in  question,  John,  or  Smith? 

You  reply,  there  is  no  better  or  worse  about  it ;  there  is 
no  opposition  in  the  case  ;  the  man's  full  name  is  John 
Smith,  and  he  is  sometimes  called  John,  and  sometimes 
Smith.  We  reply,  after  the  same  fashion,  when  asked  to 
render  judgment  on  the  relative  merits  of  the  appellations. 
Catholic  and  Christian^  there  is  no  opposition.  The 
name,  in  full,  reads,  Catholic  Christian  Church.  It  is 
sometimes  called  by  one,  sometimes  by  the  other  of  these 
titles. 

But  let  iis  examine  a  little  further,  and  take  John  Smith 
as  an  illustrating  medium.  When  is  our  friend  called  John, 
and  when  does  he  go  by  the  euphonious  name  of  Smith? 


ALETHAURION.  97 

These  are  the  questions  now.  At  home,  where  all  are  called 
Smiths,  he  is  simply  called  John,  S^iith  being  miderstood, 
but  rarely  expressed.  When  abroad,  in  company  with 
Brown,  Jones,  Robinson  and  Snooks,  he  is  called  Smith, 
without  the  John.  Why  is  this  the  case?  The  distinction 
is  founded  on  one  of  the  general  laws  of  language.  In  every 
civilized  tongue,  and  for  aught  we  know  in  barbarous  ones 
also,  there  are  two  classes  of  words,  the  one  called  generic^ 
the  other  specific.  A  generic  word  is  one  applied  to  the  ag- 
cjresate  of  individuals  or  thing's,  containinoj  two  or  more 
species.  A  specific  word  is  one  used  to  distinguish  an  indi- 
vidual belonirinsr  to  a  class. 

The  word  man  is  generic,  because  applied  to  a  class  com- 
posed of  various  species.  European,  African,  Asiatic  are,  in 
this  connection,  specific  words.  Now  the  general  laws  that 
regulate  the  use  of  language,  forbid  the  application  of  the 
generic  word  to  any  of  the  species,  except  in  two  cases,  of 
which  we  shall  speak  hereafter. 

With  these  observations,  we  scarcely  need  say  why  it  is, 
that  the  man  spoken  of,  is  called  John  at  home,  and  Smith 
abroad.  Smith  is  generic,  where  all  are  Smiths,  and  conse- 
quently ought  not  to  be  used  ;  whereas,  outside  of  the  family, 
it  becomes  specific,  and  may  then  be  employed.  From  all 
we  have  said,  it  will  not  be  difficult  for  a  member  of  the  true 
Church  to  tell  when  he  ous^ht  to  call  himself  a  Catholic  and 
when  a  Christian,  If  amons:  Pairans,  such  as  Chinese  or 
Japanese,  he  may,  if  asked  concerning  his  belief,  reply — I  am 
a  Christian.  The  word  is  specific  and  entirely  proper,  under 
the  circumstances.  If  in  a  land  where  heresy  prevails,  he 
must  say — I  am  a  Catholic. 

Thus,  we  see,  that  the  name  Catholic  given  originally  by 
the  Apostles,  to  distinguish  the  true  fold  from  heretical  con- 
venticles, has  ever  since  stood  at  its  post,  and  done  faithful 
service  ;  whereas  the  title  of  Christian ,  given  at  first  by  the 
Pagans,  has  continued,  even  to  our  times,  to  distinguish  all 


98  ALETHAURION. 

who  believe  in  Christ  from  those  who  have  not  heard  of 
His  name,  or  will  not  admit  His  divine  mission. 

But,  it  may  be  asked,  is  it  ever  lawful  to  use  the  generic 
term  instead  of  the  specific.  In  other  words,  can  any  one 
of  the  existing  sects,  take  the  name  of  Christian  to  its  indi- 
vidual self?  We  reply  :  The  use  of  language  among  men  does 
not  permit  such  an  appropriation.  Some  fifty  years  ago, 
there  sprang  into  existence  in  Virginia,  and  in  portions  of 
the  Carolinas,  a  sect,  the  members  of  which  called  them- 
selves simply  "Christians."  They  would  be  satisfied  with 
no  other  name,  and  would  have  been  highly  insulted  if  it 
had  been  denied  them.  This  organization  was  different 
from  what  is  popularly  known  as  the  Reformed,  or  Camp- 
bellite  Church  of  the  present  day ;  the  members  of  which 
also  desire  to  be  called  Christians. 

Now,  the  Virginia  sect  alluded  to,  served  as  an  occasion 
for  coining  a  new  word.  People  seeing  how  touchy  they 
were  on  the  question,  wished,  for  peace  sake,  to  comply 
with  their  whims,  as  far  as  good  sense  and  the  proper  use  of 
words  would  permit.  But,  as  the  word  Christian  had  long 
since  become  generic,  in  fact  had  been  so  from  the  first  ages 
of  Christianity,  there  arose  a  feeling  in  the  minds  of  many 
that  it  was  wrong,  in  a  rhetorical  and  logical  sense,  to  apply 
it  to  any  one  sect  as  a  specific  name.  A  compromise  was 
at  length  effected  ;  and  this  rampant  sect,  that  wanted  to 
monopolize  Christianity,  was  called,  by  public  consent,  the 
Christ'iaw  Church.  The  generic  word.  Christian,  was  made 
specific  by  a  change  of  pronunciation.  Custom  regulates  all 
such  things,  and  the  wisdom  of  the  many  will  not  have  long 
to  wait  for  the  wit  of  some  one  to  give  it  definite   shape. 

The  sect  of  which  we  speak,  like  so  many  others,  is  now 
among  the  things  that  were.  Its  light  has  gone  out  ;  yet, 
strange  to  say,  total  darkness  has  not  succeeded.  One  thing 
surprises  us  very  much  about  the  sects,  especially  the 
more  recent.  It  is  the  energy  and  enthusiasm  they  manifest 
for  a  time,  and  then,  the  sudden  collapse  they  experience. 


ALETHAURION.  99 

They  may  be  compared  to  weeds,  what  they  really  are. 
They  grow  fast  and  without  much  attention  ;  but  like  weeds, 
they  only  flourish  for  a  season.  They, have  not  in  them 
the  stuff  of  that  grand  old  tree  that  has  braved  the  storms 
of  eighteen  centuries. 

But,  to  return  again  to  our  question  :  We  said  there  were 
two,  and  only  two,  cases  in  which  we  can  with  propriety 
apply  the  generic  term  to  one  of  the  species  it  comprises. 

The  first  is,  when  an  individual  possesses,  in  a  pre-emi- 
nent manner,  all,  or  many  of  the  great  and  good  qualities 
that  are  peculiar  to  the  genus.  Thus,  we  may,  with  justice, 
call  the  present  illustrious  successor  of  Peter,  Pius  IX,  a 
Christian  man,  because  he  illustrates  so  well,  in  his  daily 
life,  those  lofty  virtues  taught  by  the  Christian  faith. 

The  other  case,  in  which  we  may  apply  the  generic  term 
to  one  of  the  species,  is,  where  the  individual  in  question  has 
so  few  good  qualities  that  he  may  be  regarded  as  a  disgrace 
to  the  genus. 

It  is  in  this  sense  that  newspaper  editors,  speaking  of 
females  of  easy  virtue,  call  them  womenoi  the  period,  mean- 
ing thereby  that  the  parties  have  little  or  none  of  that  virtue 
that  should  ever  adorn  the  female  character. 

It  is  the  same  with  the  term  deist.  The  word  is  generic, 
and  means  one  who  believes  in  the  existence  of  a  Supreme 
Being.  Every  Catholic  is  really  a  deist.  But,  when  the 
term  is  applied  to  an  individual,  it  has  usually  a  bad  sense 
attached  to  it.  It  is  then  taken  to  mean  one  who  does  not 
believe  in  Christ,  nor  in   any  system  of   revealed  religion. 

Now,  should  a  man,  when  speaking  with  those  who  believe 
in  the  Saviour's  mission,  call  himself  a  Christian,  his  words, 
according  to  the  present  use  of  the  language,  must  be  taken 
in  one  or  other  of  the  senses  given  above.  He  either  means 
that  he  faithfully  practices  all  the  duties  required  by  the 
Christian  faith — and  it  is  much  better  for  no  man  to  say 
that  of  himself,  but  so  live  that  others  will — or  he  means 
that  he  has  so  little  Christianity  that  the  mere  name  is  all  he 


100  ALETHAUBION. 

can  rightly  claim.  We  see  no  objection  to  one  calling  him- 
self a  Christian,  in  this  latter  sense.  But  we  would  recom- 
mend the  following  of  Christ,  not  alone  in  name,  but  in 
word  and  in  deed. 

In  .our  next  we   will  begin  the   discussion  of  the  fourth 
mark,  viz :  Apostolicity. 


CHAPTER  XXI. 


APOSTOLICITY. 

Apostolicity  is  the  fourth  mark  of  the  true  Church,  and 
means  relationship  with  the  Apostles.  No  one,  whose  mind 
is  not  a  blank,  religiously  speaking,  needs  to  be  told  who 
they  were.  There  may  be  a  few  however,  who  may  not 
know  the  exact  meaning  of  the  word  apostle,  and  for  the 
benefit  of  these,  we  will  state  that  it  means  one  who  is  sent. 
Outside  of  the  Catholic  Church  there  can  be  no  apostles,  in 
the  Scriptural  sense  of  the  word,  for  it  alone  has,  from  the 
Saviour,  authority  to  send. 

We  have  said  that  apostolicity  imports  relationship  with 
the  Apostles.  But,  it  is  by  no  means  a  vague  nor  general 
one.  That  of  which  we  speak  is  well  defined  in  the  Scrip- 
tures. First  of  all,  we  may  lay  it  down  as  a  principle,  that 
any  Church  claiming  it,  must,  to  make  the  claim  good,  show 
that  it  comes  down  as  a  visible  organized  society  from  the 
Apostles.  The  reason  of  this  is  clear.  The  Church  of  the 
Apostles  was  a  visible  one,  and  was  so  to  continue  until  the 
end  of  the  time.  **  Behold  !  "  says  the  Saviour,  **  I  am  with 
you  all  days,  even  to  the  consummation  of  the  world." — 
Matt,  xxviii,  20.  Hence,  nothing  less  than  continuity  of 
existence,  from  our  own  day  to  the  time  of  the  Apostles, 
can  succeed  in  establishing  the  relationship  spoken  of.  Any 
Church  pretending  to  apostolicity,  and  not  able  to  show  that 
it  descends  in  regular  line   from  the   original  twelve,  denies 


ALETHAURIOX .  101 

the  Scriptures,  and  like  the  Tichborne  claimant,  perjures 
itself- to  gain  a  title,  and  what  belongs  thereunto. 

The  second  requisite  of  apostolicity  is,  that  the  society 
laying  claim  to  it,  should  hold  the  doctrines  taught  by  the 
Apostles.  Not  alone  those  written  in  the  New  Testament, 
but  also  the  other  truths  which  they  preached,  but  did  not 
commit  to  writing.  One  of  the  great  sectarian  errors  of  our 
day,  is  the  maintaining  that  the  Apostles  left  in  writing  all 
that  they  wished  us  to  know  in  order  to  be  saved.  The 
Scriptures  bear  testimony  to  the  falsity  of  the  assumption. 
The  Church,  then,  that  holds  less  than  they  taught,  has  only, 
at  best,  a  one-sided  and  bastard  pedigree  with  which  to  es- 
tablish relationship  with  the  Apostles. 

The  third  and  last  element  of  genuine  apostolicity  requires 
that  the  members  of  the  teaching  Church  should  have  been 
commissioned,  either  mediately  or  directly,  by  the  Apostles. 
We  learn  from  the  Scriptures  that  Christ  sent  them  ;  that 
they  in  turn  sent  others.  We  read  of  how.they  gave  in- 
structions to  their  immediate  followers,  respecting  the  kind 
of  men  to  be  ordained  as  ministers.  They  not  only  sent 
worthy  men,  but  commanded  the  latter  to  choose  out,  and 
in  turn  commission  others,  and  worthy  ones. 

Now,  we  freely  confess  that  it  appears  to  us,  that  this 
third  element  of  apostolicity  bears  pretty  stiffly  on  our  Evan- 
gelical cotemporaries  of  preaching  proclivities.  You  may 
ask  how?  Well,  we  will,  the  better  to  elucidate  take  an 
example : 

There  is  Brother  Grasshopper,  who  preaches  for  the  Meth- 
odists, in  that  newly  painted  meeting-house  at  the  corner  of 
Main  and  Madison  avenue.  Suppose  you  take  a  stroll  on 
some  fine  afternoon  to  his  residence,  and  manifesting  great 
anxiety  for  scriptural  and  general  religious  knowledge,  ask 
him:  ''Brother  Grasshopper,  who  sent  you  to  preach  the 
Gospel?"  His  answer  would  be,  that  under  the  Lord,  his 
much  esteemed  and  beloved  co-laborer,  the  venerable  Bishop 
Beetle,  had  done  so.     '*  But  who  sent  Bishop  Beetle, 


102  ALETHAURION. 

and  who  gave  him  authority  to  send  you?  "  He  answers, 
*'  It  was  the  learned  Dr.  Bulfinch."  '*  And  who  sent  Dr. 
BuLFiNCH ?  "  "It  was  the  saintly  Bishop  Scraggs , "  is  the  le- 
ply  of  Brother  Grasshopper.  *'Who  sent  Scraggs?"  "Oh, 
he  was  ordained  and  sent  by  Wesley  himself."  "  Now,  veil 
me,  who  was  it  sent  Wesley?  " 

Brother  Grasshopper  has  got  to  the  end  of  his  rope.  His 
tether  will  not  permit  him  to  reach  out  his  snout  and  nip  the 
succulent  herbage  beyond.  Poor  fellow  !  He  can  gei  to 
John  Wesley,  but  not  to  Jesus  Christ. 

We  may  well  apply  to  Brother  Grasshopper,  what  a  s.ol- 
dier  said  to  a  preacher,  dressed  in  uniform,  during  the  late 
civil  war,  **  Halt !  and  give  the  countersign,"  says  Hector. 
"  Bless  my  ears,"  says  Habacuk,  "  If  I  have  not  got  among 
the  pickets."  '*  What  army  do  you  belong  to,"  roared  the 
man  of  arms.  "The  army  of  the  Lord,"  muttered  the 
bible-monger.  "  Well,  you're  a  long  distance  from  head- 
quarters," again  thundered  out  Hector,  "and  you  are  not 
likely  to  get  there  by  the  way  you're  going." 

You  are  a  long  distance  from  head-quarters.  Brother 
Grasshopper,  even  after  you  have  got  to  Wesley,  and  no 
likelihood  of  your  getting  there  by  that  route. 

What  we  say  here  of  the  minister  of  one  sect,  may  be 
applied  to  those  of  all  others.  They  hold  their  commis- 
sions from  men  who  had  no  authority  to  give  them.  But, 
as  regards  the  Greek  and  Oriental  schismatics,  the  case  is  a 
little  different.  Though  they  have  not  what  theologians 
call  formal  apostolicity,  it  cannot  be  denied,  they  have 
something  that  approaches  to  it.  Certain  it  is  that,  though 
the  Greek  schismatic  Church  does  not,  as  an  organization, 
come  down  from  thfe  Apostles,  though  its  doctrines  are  not 
the  same,  in  all  things,  as  those  the  Apostles  taught ;  though 
it  has  no  lawful  authority  to  send  out  missionaries,  yet 
its  bishops  and  priests  are  validly  ordained,  and  with  the 
exception  of  penance,  can  validly,  though  not  licitly,  ad- 
minister all  the  sacraments. 


ALETHAUKION.  103 

With  this  explanation  of  the  fourth  and  last  mark,  let  us 
briefly  consider  the  question  whether  the  Roman,  or  Catho- 
lic, Church  can  be  said  to  possess  it. 

Does  the  Roman  Church  come  down,  by  perpetual  suc- 
cession, from  the  Apostles  of  Christ?  We  answer  in  the 
affirmative.  The  well-known  and  uninterrupted  succession 
of  the  Bishops  of  Rome,  from  St.  Peter,  Prince  of  the 
Apostles,  to  Pius  IX,  gloriously  reigning,  proves  it  to  a 
demonstration. 

Are  its  doctrines  apostolic?     They  are  most  assuredly  so. 

Are  its  orders  and  missions  apostolic?  Never  yet,  for 
over  eighteen  centuries,  has  one  been  sent  to  teach  and 
administer  the  sacraments,  who  had  not  had  hands  laid  on 
him,  and  powers  granted  by  the  Apostles,  or  by  one  of  their 
successors  in  direct  line.  The  laws,  customs  and  usages  of 
the  Catholic  Church  make  it  impossible  for  the  people  to  be 
deceived  by  mountebanks,  who  shout  pious  cant  from  their 
pulpits,  but  have  venom  in  their  hearts.  In  a  half  a  dozen 
or  so  of  the  chapters  succeeding  this,  we  will  give  short 
sketches  of  the  heretics  and  heresies  of  the  first  century  of 
our  era,  thus  enabling  the  reader  to  see  that  no  religious 
organization,  at  variance  with  the  Catholic  Church,  is 
apostolic. 


CHAPTER  XXII. 


SIMOX   MAGUS. 

In  the  last  chapter  we  proposed  to  give  the  reader  a  short 
history  of  the  various  heresies  that  appeared  in  the  world 
during  the  first  century  of  the  Christian  era.  Our  object  in 
doing  so  is,  mainly,  to  show  that  none  of  them  is  of  apos- 
tolic origin.  We  begin  with  the  father  and  head  of  heresi- 
archs,  Simon  Magus. 

Simon  was  born  in   a  village  of   Samaria,  called  Getthis. 


104  ALETHAURION. 

Little,  if  anything,  isktiown  about  the  character  of  his  par- 
ents. But,  if  we  may  judge  the  tree  by  its  fruit,  they  must 
have  been  of  bad  stock.  After  having  studied  philosophy, 
at  Alexandria,  he  returned  to  his  native  country,  and  devo- 
ted his  time  and  labor  to  magic,  or  the  hlach  art;  for  which 
reason  he  was  called  Magus,  or  the  magician. 

Judging  from  the  noise  he  made  in  the  world  in  his  day, 
one  is  justified  in  taking  it  for  granted  that  he  knew  his 
trade  pretty  well.  The  Samaritans  seeing  the  miracles  he 
performed,  were  wrapt  in  amazement,  and  called  him  "the 
power  of  God,  which  is  called  great." — Acts  viii,  10.  He 
continued  thus  to  excite  the  wonder  and  win  the  applause  of 
his  fellow  citizens,  until  Philip,  one  of  the  seven  deacons, 
came  there  to  preach  the  gospel. 

Philip,  also,  performed  miracles,  but  they  were  real,  and 
consequently  made  a  greater  impression  on  the  minds  of  the 
■people  than  did  the  magical  tricks  of  Simon.  To  be  out- 
done was  more  than  the  magician  could  bear,  and  yet  it  was 
too  clear  he  would  have  to  yield.  That  low  cunning,  of 
which  he  had  an  abundance,  soon  cut  the  gordian  knot  and 
obviated  the  necessity  of  hiding  his  diminished  head. 

He  joined  Philip,  and  wMth  a  nod  and  a  wink  to  those 
behind,  consented  to  the  deacon's  teaching,  and  was  bap- 
tized. Did  Simon  Magus  live  in  our  day,  and  in  this  coun- 
try, what  a  capital  politician,  even  candidate  for  Congress, 
he  would  make  !  But,  above  all,  what  a  love  of  a  preacher 
he  would  be,  in  a  fashionable  New  York  or  Brooklvn  Church  ! 
Though  as  hollow  as  a  sycamore  log,  and  as  slippery  as  a 
decaying  cabbage  stalk,  he  had  to  a  rare  degree,  the  assur- 
ance and  the  swagger  that  win  the  applause  of  the 
rajbble  ;  and  the  cunning  to  turn  it  to  his  own  personal  ad- 
vantage and  aggrandizement.  After  baptism  he  continued 
to  profess  Christianity  with  the  mouth,  though,  in  his 
heart,  he  wished  the  cause  no  success. 

Things  went  on   in  this  way  for  some   time,  until   Peter 


ALETHAURION.  106 

and  John  came  to  Samaria  from  Jerusalem,  to  confirm  those 
whom  Philip  had  baptized. 

In  those  days  various  gifts,  such  as  the  power  of  speaking 
in  many  languages,  the  knowledge  of  future  events,  etc., 
were  miraculously  conferred,  by  the  imposition  of  the  Apos- 
tles' hands.  Simox,  who  thought  himself  an  important 
character,  a  leading  man,  was  not  content  with  being  mere- 
ly piissive,  as  the  others  were.  He  came  up  to  Peter  and 
offered  him  money,  not  to  purchase* gifts  like  those  he  saw 
the  Apostles  had  conferred,  but  the  power  of  conferring 
them  upon  whomsoever  he  pleased. 

Peter,  seeing  the  spirit  by  which  he  was  actuated,   and 

knowing,   probably  by  divine  revelation,  the  wickedness  of 

the  man's  heart,  said  to  him : 

•* May  th}' money  perish  with  thee."  *  *  *  "Thou  hast  no  part  nor 
lot  in  this  matter,  for  thy  heart  is  not  right  in  the  sight  of  God;  do  pen- 
ance therefore,  for  this  thy  wickedness."  *  *  *  "-I  see  thou  art  in  the 
gall  of  bitterness  and  in  the  bonds  of  iniquity." — Acts  ^iii,  20,  23. 

When  he  had  uttered  these  words,  the  heart  of  the  magi- 
cian failed  him  ;  he  drew .  in  his  pretentious  horns,  and 
assumed  a  deprecatory  demeanor,  and  said  : 

"Pray  you  to  the  Lord,  for  me,  that  none  of  these  things  which  you 
have  said  may  come  upon  me." — Acts  viii,  24. 

But,  the  rebuke  of  Peter  did  not  cure  the  magician  ; 
neither  was  his  repentance  sincere.  From  a  secret  enemy 
to  Christianity,  he  now  became  an  open  foe.  He  traveled 
through  several  countries,  and,  everywhere,  to  the  extent 
of  his  power,  opposed  the  spread  of  the  gospel. 

We  have  called  Simon  Magus  an  heresiarch,  yet,  rigor- 
ously speaking,  he  was  not  one.  He  is  rather  to  be  classed 
with  those  impostors,  or  false  Messiahs,  that  appeared  in 
Judea,  after  the  ascension  of  our  Lord.  Having  renounced 
Christianity,  he  taught  his  disciples  that  he  was,  himself, 
God,  the  Father,  among  the  Samaritans  ;  God,  the  Son, 
among  the  Jews  ;  and  God,  the  Holy  Ghost,  among  the 
other  nations  of  the  earth. 


106  ALETHAURION.  * 

About  this  time  he  took,  as  an  associate,  a  woman  of 
loose  character,  named  Helen,  of  the  city  of  Tyre,  in 
Phenicia.  Still  pretending  to  be  God,  he  called  her  the 
first  conception  of  his  mind — the  mother  of  all  things.  It 
was  through  her  that  he  first  conceived  the  design  of  creat- 
ing angels,  and  afterwards  of  creating  the  world,  and  the 
human  race.  This  Helen,  according  to  Simon,  was  the 
very  same  person  on  account  of  whom  Troy  was  taken  and 
burned.  He  caused  a  statue  of  himself,  and  another  of  this 
base  woman,  to  be  made  ;  both  of  which  he  proposed  to  his 
disciples  for  adoration — his  own  under  the  title  of  Jupiter, 
and  the  other  under  that  of  Minerva. 

Such  monstrous  doctrines  and  practices  seems  more  like 
the  raving  of  a  maniac  than  the  works  of  a  man,  like  Simon 
Magus,  who  pretended  to  lead  others. 

They  are,  nevertheless,  well  authenticated,  mention  being 
made  of  them  by  Ireneus,  Heer.  v,  20.  After  having  wan- 
dered for  some  years  through  the  Oriental  countries,  Simon 
came  to  Rome,  where,  as  might  be  expected,  he  met,  for  a 
time,  with  great  success.  Nero,  who  hated  Christ  so 
thoroughly,  was  the  magician's  particular  friend.  So 
pleased,  in  fact,  were  the  Romans  with  him,  that  they 
erected  a  statue  to  his  honor.  This  fact  is  vouched  for  by 
Justin  Martyr,  who,  in  his  second  apology,  addressing  the 
Pagans,  says : 

''In  your  royal  city,  Simon  Magus  is  regarded  as  a  God,  and  as  such 
is  honored  by  you  with  a  statue,  which  same,  has  been  erected  in  the 
island  of  the  Tiber,  between  the  two  bridges,  having  on  it  this  Roman 
inscription :    Simoni  Deo  Sancto — to  Simon  the  blessed  God. 

But  villians  will  often  get  their  deserts,  even  in  this  world. 
The  man  who  abandons  the  ways  of  justice  and  truth,  and 
seeks  notoriety  by  pandering  to  the  follies  or  vices  of  the 
age  in  which  he  lives,  must,  in  order  to  retain  his  popularity, 
make  each  succeeding  act  more  sensational  than  that  which 
went  before. 

Simon  had  well  nigh  gone  through  with  all  his  magical 
tricks  and  still  the  people  were  not  satisfied.     They  craved 


•  ALETHAURION.  107 

some  thing  more,  and  on  a  grander  scale.  The  magician 
gave  out  that  on  a  certain  day  he  would,  in  their  presence, 
fly  up  into  heaven,  whence  he  would  for  evermore  shower 
down  ])lessings  upon  them. 

The  facts  and  circumstances   of  this  celebrated  flight  we 
will  lay  before  the  reader  in  a  future  chapter. 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 


THE  RISE  AND  FALL  OF    sniON  MAGUS. 

In  the  last  chapter  we  gave  a  sketch  of  the  early  career  of 
Simon  Magus.  He  was  the  first  of  heresiarchs,  and  on  that 
account,  we  honor  him  with  an  extended  notice. 

We  promised,  also,  to  give  the  principal  facts  and  circum- 
stances connected  with  his  celebrated  flight  to  heaven.  Now, 
before  beginning  to  quote  the  more  ancient  authorities  that 
go  to  prove  the  truth  of  this  extraordinary  fact,  it  is  no 
more  than  just  to  tell  the  reader,  that  there  are  not  wanting 
grave  Catholic  writers,  of  modern  times,  who  treat  the  affair 
as  a  myth.  Among  them  may  be  mentioned  Calmet, 
Maffei,  Bergier,  the  author  of  the  Venetian  Ecclesiastical 
Encyclopedia,  Father  Pateitzi,  and  some  others. 

In  support  of  the  fact,  we  have  an  equal,  and,  probably » 
more  imposing  array  of  names,  all  men  of  great  learning  and 
sound  doctrine.  Among  them  we  may  mention  Baronius  : 
Annals  year  QS  ;  Tillemont  :  Life  of  St.  Peter,  vol.  i ; 
Cardinal  Orsi  :  History  of  Church,  ist  book,  chapter  ii ; 
Feller  :  Biog.  Dictionary  ;  Ber  Castel  :  History  of  Church, 
ist  book  ;^  Moroni  :  Universal  Dictionary  ;  along  with  many 
others. 

Hence,  we  may,  with  all  propriety,  on  a  question  like  this 
introduce  anew  the  old  adage:  *'When  doctors  disagree, 
disciples  are  free."     Did  we  venture   to  give   an   opinion. 


108  ALETHAURION. 

shaped  by  what  we   have  read  on  the  subject,  it  would  be 
decidedly  that  Snions  Jlew. 

Before  proceeding  to  substantiate  this,  by  quotations  from 
the  ancients,  let  us  lay  before  the  reader  what  two  very  emi- 
nent modern  authors  have  had  to  say  on  the  subject.  Bar- 
ONius,  Annals,  year  68,  No.  21,  after  having  given  what  the 
Fathers  of  the  Church,  and  other  early  writers  have  said 
about  the  flight  of  Simon  Magus,  concludes  in  these  words : 

"  Whereas,  we  have  the  testimony  of  so  many,  both  Greek  and  Latin 
WTiters  concerning  the  fall  of  Simon,  we  need  not  care  if  they  differ  in 
unimportant  matters,  since  they  all  agree  about  the  fact  itself." 

Such  are  the  words  of  Baronius,  as  learned  and  trust- 
worthy a  man  as  ever  took  a  pen  in  hand  to   write  history. 

TiLLEMONT,  another  grave  and  respectable  modern  author, 

makes  use  of  the  following  language  : 

"  We  prefer,  until  refuted  by  certain  and  evident  reasons,  to  err,  in  this 
matter,  with  Aknobius,  Cyril  of  Jerusalem,  the  Legates  of  Pope  Libe- 
Kius,  with  St.  Augustine,  St.  Isidore  Pelusiota,  with  Theodoret, 
and  many  others,  than  to  accuse  of  too  much  credulity  so  many  and 
such  illustrious  doctors,  both  of  the  Greek  and  Latin  Churches.  Hence, 
we  contend  that  the  fact  (that  Simon  flew)  is  to  be  believed.'* — Life  of 
St.  Peter,  tome  i. 

Having  given  the  opinion  of  these  two  learned  men,  who 

examined  into  the  merits  of   the  case,  as  far  as  they  could 

go  by  the  light  of  ancient  history,  we  will,  in  the  next  place, 

introduce  the  original  documents,  and  leave  each  one  to  draw 

his   own    conclusions    therefrom,    as    did    Baronius    and 

TiLLEMONT. 

Now,  the  first  notice  of  Simon's  flight  is  to  be  found  in  a 
work  entitled,  **TAe  Constitutions  of  the  Apostles.''  It 
consists,  principally,  of  certain  rules  and  regulations,  said. 
to  have  been  made  by  them.  The  work  itself  claims  St. 
Clement,  third  Pope  and  companion  of  the  Apostles,  as  its 
author,  or  rather  compiler.  But,  it  is  certain,  from  intrin- 
sic evidence,  that  he  had  nothing  to  do  with  it.  Who  its 
real  author  was,  no  one  knows. 

The  precise  date  of  its  first  publication,  is  also  a   matter 


ALETHAURION.  109 

of  doubt.  The  best  theory  we  have  seen  on  the  subject  is 
this  :  That  it  was  first  begun  by  some  unknown  person, 
about  the  end  of  the  second  century.  At  this  time  it  con- 
tained nothing  reprehensible.  Then  succeeded  a  period  of 
corruption  and  interpolation  ;  during  which,  good,  bad,  and 
indifferent  things  were  added  to  and  inserted  in  its  text  by 
several  scribblers  whose  names  are  unknown. 

Thus  it  happened  that,  at  the  end  of  the  fifth  century, 
the  work  had  become  such  a  jumble  of  truth  and  falsehood, 
that,  like  a  perjured  witness  in  one  of  our  courts  of  justice, 
its  evidence  was  no  longer  heeded,  but  was  thrown,  as  the 
lawyers  say,  out  of  court. 

Such,  then,  is  the  work  from  which  we  take  our  first  quo- 
tation. What  importance  is  to  be  given  to  the  testimony  it 
bears,  we  will  take  into  consideration  a  little  further  on. 
The  author  of  the  work,  or  at  least  of  that  portion  we  are 
about  to  quote,  introduces  Peter,  and  makes  him  responsi- 
ble for  what  follows : 

"When  Simon  came  to  Rome  he  greatly  annoyed  the  Church,  and  ex- 
cited the  Gentiles  by  his  magical  arts.  On  a  certain  day,  at  noon,  he 
proceeded  to  the  amphitheater  *  *  *  having  promised  that  he  would  lly 
into  the  air.  When  all  present  were  in  deep  suspense  and  expectation 
about  the  fulfillment  of  this  promise  I  praj'ed,  by  myself  apart.  Then 
he,  being  raised  by  the  demons,  flew  aloft,  telling  the  people  that  he  was 
assending  to  heaven,  whence  he  would  shower  down  blessings  upon 
them.  The  people  raised  a  shout  of  applause,  honoring  him  as  a  god. 
At  the  same  time,  I  raised  my  hands  to  heaven,  implored  the  Almighty 
that,  through  Jesus  Christ,  He  would  deign  to  break  the  impious 
wretch.  *  *  *  Then,  gazing  intently  on  Simon,  I  said,  if  I  am  a  man 
of  God,  an  Apostle  of  Jesus  Christ,  a  true  teacher  of  piety,  and  not  of 
error,  such  as  you  are,  Simon,  I  command  the  wicked  powers,  by  which 
Simon  Magus  is  sustained  in  the  air,  to  loose  their  strength,  that  he  may 
fall  down,  and  be  made  an  object  of  contempt  to  those  whom  he  has  de- 
ceived. When  I  had  finished  these  words,  Simon,  deserted  by  the  e^il 
powers,  fell  with  a  mighty  crash,  and,  having  struck  the  earth,  broke 
both  his  shins  and  the  lower  extremity  of  his  backbone.'' — Book  vi,  chap- 
ter 9. 

The  testimony  is  certainly  as  explicit  as  one  could  desire. 
But,  as  hinted  above,  it  is  that  of  a  perjured  witness.  Yet, 
granting  all  that,  it  by  no  means  follows  that  it  is  false.  One 


110  AT.ETHAURION. 

evident  lie  is  enough  to  perjure  a  witness  in  court,  even 
though  he  may  have  given  truthful  testimony  in.  everything 
else.  We  have  a  few  specimen  lies  in  the  work  we  quote 
from,  but  it  does  not  follow  that  we  must  regard  as  false 
everything  it  contains. 

Now  arises  the  question,  what  are  we  to  think  of  the  ex- 
tract above  given  ?  Is  it  to  be  regarded  as  a  portion  of  the 
original  uncompleted  work,  or  as  an  interpolation?  We 
have  no  means  of  deciding  wnth  certainty,  the  latter  ques- 
tion. So  far  as  the  flight  of  Simox  is  concerned,  there  is 
nothing  impossible,  nor  even  improbal)le  in  it.  We  learn 
from  the  scriptures  that  the  devil  once  took  our  Lord  Him- 
self up  into  a  high  mountain — set  him  on  the  pinnacle  of  the. 
temple,  etc.  From  this,  and  other  facts,  w^e  may  conclude 
that,  by  God's  permission,  he  has  to  some  extent,  and  in 
certain  cases,  a  discretionary  power  over  matter,  even  men's 
bodies. 

If  then,  as  the  scriptures  inform  us,  one  devil  had  power 
to  transfer  the  sacred  person  of  our  Lord  to  the  summit  of 
a  mountain,  and  take  him  from  there,  in  an  instant,  to  the 
top  of  one  of  the  pinnacles  of  the  temple  in  elerusalem,  what 
impossibility,  or  even  improbability,  can  there  be  in  saying 
that  a  legion  of  devils  had  power  to  elevate  a  few  hundred 
feet  into  the  air  and  let  fall  a  worthless  cur  like  Simon 
Magus  ? 

There  are  other  reasons  that  go  to  show  that  the  extract 
is  not  an  interpolation,  but  a  portion  of  the  original  work, 
before  having  been  corrupted.  There  are  many  writers  of 
ancient  times,  besides  the  author  of  The  Constitutions  of  the 
Apostles^  who  bear  testimony  to  the  truth  of  the  fact. 

Arnobius,  an  author  of  the  third  century,  a  man  of  learn- 
ing and  genius,  professor  of  rhetoric,  at  Sicca  in  Africa, 
thus  speaks,  in  a  work  written  against  Paganism,  of  Simon's 
fall : 

"  The  Romans  saw  the  course  of  Simon  Magus,  and  the  fierj^  chariots, 
blown  away  by  the  breath  of  Peter.      *      *      ♦      They  saw  him,  who 


ALETHAURION.  Ill 

conficlod  in  false  gorls,  precipitated  from  on  high,  by  his  own  weight, 
and  lying  helpless  with  broken  limbs.'' 

Now,  Arnobius  wrote  against  the  Pagans,  and  would 
never  have  introduced  such  a  fact,  had  it  not  been  known 
and  admitted  by  them.  Besides  Arnobius,  we  have  the 
testimony  of  Cyril,  of  Jerusalem,  Eusebius,  St.  Augus- 
TixE,  Eusebus,  of  Alexandria,  and  a  host  of  others.  We 
give  qnotations  from  the  few  above  named.  Cyril,  of  Jer- 
usalem, says : 

•*S\lien  Simon  publicly  declared  that  he  would  ascend  to  heaven,  and 
was  raised  aloft  in  the  chariot  of  demons,  the  servants  of  God,  Peter 
and  Paul,  on  bended  knees,  cast  him  to  the  earth." — Catech.  vi. 

EusEBUS,  ii  book,  chapter  14,  History  of  tiie  Church,  thus 

speaks  of  the  fact  : 

•'When  the  divine  word  had  reached  the  Romans,  the  insane  power  of 
Simon  was  extinguished,  and  that  .vilest  of  men  was  completely  demol- 
ished." 

St.  Augustine,  epistle  86,  alluding  to  the  fast  observed 
in  Rome  on  Saturdays,  gives  as  a  reason  that,  on  that  day 
of  the  week,  the  Christians  fasted  that  St.  Peter  might 
gain  a  victory  over  Simon  Magus. 

Eusebius  of  Alexandria,  in  a  sermon  against  astrologers, 

found  in  the  new  collection  of  Cardinal  Mai,  skives  us  a 

spicy  moral : 

'•Simo7i  etiam  Magus  voluit  ascendere  in  coelum  sed  cadenscrepuiV — SiMON 
Magus  also  wished  to  ascend  to  heaven,  but,  falling,  burst. 

Besides  these,  many  others  ftf  the  ancient  Fathers  of  the 
Church  bear  testimony  to  Simon's  rise  and  fall.  An  objec- 
tion may  be  raised  here,  however,  to  their  evidence.  Some 
one  may  say,  probably  they  got  their  knowledge  of  the  fact 
from  The  Constitutions  of  the  Apostles;  as  that  work  is  not 
worthy  of  credit,  neither  is  their  testimony. 

We  reply,  such  a  theory  is  not  at  all  likely.  Neither 
ought  we  to  accuse  such  men,  as  those  whose  names  we  have 
given,  of  too  much  credulity.  We  ought  rather  to  presume 
they  had  good  grounds  for  what  they  wTote.  One  thing  is 
certain,  that  the  Pagan  authors  of  those  times  did  not  copy 


112  ALETHAUEION. 

from  The  Constitutions  of  the  Apostles^  yet,  we  have  enough 
in  their  writings  to  render  not  only  highly  probable, 
but  morally  certain,  what  is  said  of  Simon,  in  the  work 
alluded  to. 

SpuTOXius,  a  Pagan,  m  his  Life  of  Nero,  vi  book,  12  chap., 
speaks  -of  a  man  who  attempted  to  fly  in  the  presence  of  the 
Emperor,  but  fell,  and  was  killed.  The  circumstances  of 
time  and  place  will  fit  Simon  to  a  nicety. 

Dio  Chrysostom,  another  Pagan,  speaking  of  the  same 
Nero,  Sei*m.  12,  says  :  He  was  of  a  most  tyrannical  disposi- 
tion, and  so  positive  in  his  ways  that  no  one  dared  contra- 
dict him,  nor  even  call  impossible  what  he  had  ordered  to 
be  done,  so  that  if  he  commanded  one  to  fly,  and  the-  man 
had  promised  to  do  so,  he  was  fed  and  taken  care  of  in  the 
royal  palace  by  way  of  preparation  for  the  feat. 

Juvenal,  Satire  iii.,  77,  also  speaks  of  a  man  who  took 
wings,  but  credits  him,  along  with  many  other  abominations, 
to  Greece. 

There  appears  to  have  been  in  fact,  an  ancient  tradition 
that  Simon  came  originally  from  Athens  ;  though  most  his- 
torians say  he  was  born  in  Samaria.  These,  several  allus- 
ions of  even  Pagan  authors,  go  far  in  demonstrating  that 
some  attempt  of  the  kind  must  have  been  made.  Add  to 
these  the  explicit  testimonies  from  Christian  authors,  and 
our  opinion  is,  that,  all  taken  together,  forms  a  strong  chain 
of  evidence  to  show  that  Simon  ^ew. 


CHAPTEB  XXIV. 


errors   of   SIMON  MAGUS. 


Our  course,  for  the  seven  coming  chapters,  will  be  through 
graveyards,  wherein  moulder  the  bones  of  defunct  heresi- 
archs.  Our  intention,  in  choosing  such  a  path,  is  to  play, 
on  a  small  scale,  the  part  of  Walter  Scott's  Old  Mortality; 


ALETHAURION.  113 

to  clear  away  the  rank  weeds,  to  scrape  off  the  moss  from 
the  monuments  of  forgotten  fools,  to  learn  what  they  did, 
what  they  aimed  to  do,  and  what  they  failed  to  accomplish. 
The  reader  who  accompanies  us  through  this  sad  and  de- 
voted city  of  the  dead,  will  find  proofs  in  abundance  of  man's 
littleness  when  he  undertakes  to  make  war  on  God  and  on 
His  works.  He  will  have  fresh  evidences  of  the  fore- 
knowledge of  Him  who  said  : 

"  Thou  art  Peter,  and  upon  this  rock  I  will  build  my  Church,  and  the 
gcCtes  of  hell  shall  not  prevail  against  it.'''' — Matt,  xvi,  18. 

Before  commencing  an  examination  of  the  tombstones 
aforesaid,  we  here  caution  the  reader  not  to  be  surprised  at 
the  follies,  nor  wonder  at  the  contradiction  of  heresiarchs. 
They  were  all  led  on  by  the  spirit  of  the  Evil  One,  and,  when 
a  man  has  succeeded  in  making  the  Father  of  Lies  truthful, 
then,  and  not  until  then,  may  he  reasonably  hope  to  find 
consistency  in  the  acts  of  his  principal  agents  here  on  earth. 

Heresiarchs  are  to  be  blamed,  but  as  men  we  should  rather 
pity  and  deplore  their  w^eakness,  in  suffering  themselves  to 
be  made  the  tools  of  the  demon,  losing  thereby  their  own 
souls,  and  by  their  bad  influence,  dragging  thousands,  weak 
like  themselves,  into  the  abyss. 

They  relate   an   interview,  which  is   said   to  have  taken 

place   doiv7i   below,   between    Emanuel   Sw^edenborg,    the 

founder  of  the  New  eTerusalem  Church,  and  Martin  Luther, 

the  father  of  Protestantism.     It  is  to   the  following  effect : 

Swedenborg  reproaches  Martin  with   his  many  follies  and 

inconsistencies,  and  also,  with  having   been  the  cause  of  the 

loss  of  scores  of  others. 

"Very  true,""  replied  Luther,  "while  on  earth,  I  was  a  fool.  The 
sentence  of  a  merciful  but  just  God  condemning  me  to  this  place,  has 
long  since  convinced  me  of  it.  But  what  surprises  me  most  of  all  is, 
that  one  fool,  such  as  I  was,  should  have  turned  heads  of  so  many 
thousands  of  others,  and  yours  along  with  the  rest." 

Thus  it  is  that  heresiarchs  discover  their  folly  when  it  is 

too  late.     But  as  they  are  themselves,  in  the  end,  the  prin-  ' 

cipal  losers,  while  we  loathe    and    condemn  their  errors,  let 


114  ALETHAURION . 

US  pity  their  present  sad  lot,  and  rejoice  that  through  the 
mercy  of  God,  we  have  been  permitted  to  walk  in  the  right 
way,  having  thereby  a  well  grounded  hope  that,  when  we 
have  trodden  it  to  the  end,  we  will  be  rewarded  by  being 
allowed  to  gaze  on  the  splendid  portals  of  the  heavenly 
Jerusalem,  and  participate  in  the  beautitude  of  the  just  within 
its  walls. 

But  let  us  continue  our  story  about  Simon  jVIagus.  His 
errors,  which  we  have  collected,  are  written  down  here  for 
present  inspection  as  well  as  future  reference.  They  may 
be  regarded  as  good  specimens  of  what  a  man,  under  the 
inspiration  of  the  Devil,  is  capable  of  saying  and  doing. 

Simon's  first  and  greatest  error  consisted  in  maintaining 
that  he  was  God  Almighty.  Luther  certainly,  to  give  him 
his  due,  did  not  pretend  to  so  much.  He  said  of  himself 
only,  that  he  was  not  far  off  from  being  a  god.  Simon 
took  his  straight ;  IVIartin,  with  a  little  nutmeg. 

Now,  at  the  first  sight,  it  may  appear  to  us  passing  strange 
that  the  magician  should  have  made  such  pretensions,  they 
look  so  outrageously  absurd.  Yet,  if  we  take  into  considera- 
tion the  peculiar  circumstances  of  time  and  place,  it  will  not 
seem  at  all  wonderful  that  a  cunning  mountebank,  juggler, 
and  liar,  like  Simon  Magus,  should  have  gone  even  so  far  as 
to  pretend  to  be  God. 

Simon  knew  that  Christ,  Saviour,  had  laid  claims  to 
divinity,  and  what  was  more,  had  brought  people  to  believe 
that  He  was  divine.  Hence,  the  idea  naturally  occurred  to 
him  that  he  could  not  be  a  successful  rival  of  Christ  without 
advancing  the  same  pretensions. 

Whether  Simon's  disciples  really  believed  in  his  godhead 
or  not,  we  are  unable  to  say.  Most  likely  it  was  with 
them  as  with  the  soldiers  of  Alexander.  They  thought  it 
best  not  to  ask  too  many  questions,  nor  seek  for  proofs 
higher  than  their  master's  word. 

.  We  find  evidence  of  this  same  blasphemous  spirit  in  all 
the  heresiarchs  that  have   succeeded  the   magician,  even  to 


ALETHAURION.  115 

our  own  times.  Though  none  have  gone  as  far  as  he  did, 
nevertheless  they  all  have  laid  claim  to  a  direct  communion 
with  the  Divinity,  or  to  a  species  of  inspiration. 

The  doctrine  of  the  private  interpretation  of  the  scrip- 
tures is  built  on  this  arrogant  assumption.  We  have  not 
vspace  to  mention  all  the  errors  of  the  wretched  man  of 
whom  we  write,  but  we  cannot  forbear  giving  those  that  are 
most  prominent.  A  favorite  doctrine  of  his  was,  that  all 
who  believed  in  himself  need  not  trouble  themselves  in 
trying  to  observe  either  the  laws  of  Moses,  or  any  other. 
Their  own  wills  were  law,  and  whatever  each  chose  to  do, 
was  just,  right  and  proper. 

Simon  also  invented  the  doctrine  of  ''Free  Love,"  pretty 
much  as  taught  at  the  present  day  by  Woodhull  and 
others.  In  this  particular,  also,  Simon  was  far  ahead  of  the 
greater  part  of  our  modern  heretics.  Obscenity  was  one  of 
the  essential  features  of  his  religion.  So  much  so,  that, 
according  to  him,  no  one  could  be  saved  who  had  not 
learned  and  practiced  certain  lewd  rites  and  ceremonies, 
which  respect  for  ourselves  and  our  readers  forbids  us  to 
mention. 

Some  miiirht  resfard  us  as  extravaojant  were  we  to  call 
Simon  Magus  a  Protestant.  They  would,  no  doubt,  put  us 
down  in  the  same  category  with  that  brilliant  editor  of  a 
sectarian  newspaper,  who,  some  time  ago,  told  his  patrons 
that  Joan  of  Arc,  w^as  burned  at  the  stake  by  the  Jesuites. 
Yet,  we  could,  by  the  very  same  line  of  argument  that 
Baptists  use  to  prove  their  apostolicity,  show  that  Simon 
Magus  was  a  Protestant ;  nay  more,  that  he  was  the 
founder  of  Protestantism. 

Let  us  come  to  an  understanding.  Anabaptists  find  from 
reading  history,  that  long  before  Luther,  there  were  some 
sects  that  denied  the  utility  of  infant  baptism.  They  jump 
at  conclusions.  These  believed,  say  they,  just  as  we  do, 
therefore,  they  and  we  form  the  same  body  organic.     Just 


116  *  ALETHAURION. 

SO.  We  will  prove  in  the  same  way  that  Simon  Magus  was 
a  Protestant. 

Ieeneus,  Hger.  v,  20;  Theodoret,  Hasr.  Fab.  i,  i;  tell 
us  that  one  of  Simon's  favorite  doctrines  was,  that  men 
were  saved  by  grace,  without  good  works.  Luther  taught 
the  inutility,  even  sinfulness,  of  good  works.  Hence,  we 
feel  warranted  in  saying,  according  to  Baptist  logic,  that 
Simon  Magus  was  just  as  good  a  Protestant  as  Luther. 

We  will  conclude  our  notice  of  Simon  by  showing  that  he 
was  a  practical  man,  taking-good  care  of  himself,  and  not 
bringing  his  disciples  into  danger,  on  account  of  their  belief. 
In  those  days  it  was  unsafe  to  be  a  Christian,  even  to  have 
been  thought  one  ;  and  the  Pagans  did  not  always  distin- 
guish true  from  false  Christianity.  Hence,  Simon's  men 
were  sometimes  taken  up  for  being  Christians,  along  with 
others  who  were  really  such.  Now,  the  magician  was  en- 
tirely too  tender-hearted  to  see  his  followers  roasted  alive, 
or  hehesided y  fornotking  at  all.  So  he  instructed  them,  in 
case  of  arrest,  to  deny  they  were  Christians,  and,  if  neces- 
sary, to  sacrifice  to  Jupiter,  in  proof  of  their  sincerity. 
Christ  taught  His  disciples  not  to  fear  death,  ^when  truth 
was  to  be  maintained.  He  died  for  the  truth,  and  all  true 
believers  are  ever  ready  to  shed  their  blood  rather  than  for- 
sake it.  The  maintenance  of  truth,  even  to  blood  is  one  of 
the  characteristics  of  a  Catholic. 

The  heretic  will  flinch,  and  always  has  done  so.  He  may 
die  for  his  crimes,  or  his  passions,  never  for  his  faith  ;  be- 
cause he  has  not  the  divine  gift.  We  leave  Simon  Magus 
for  the  present.  His  followers  were  called  Simonians. 
After  their  leader's  death,  they  split  up  into  an  endless  num- 
ber of  sects  ;  and  finally,  toward  the  middle  of  the  third 
century,  they  were  either  converted  to  the  true  Church,  or, 
under  new  names,  formed  part  and  parcel  of  new  heresies. 
If  the  Baptists,  who  are^anxious  to  trace  themselves  up  to 
the  Apostles,  choose  to  acknowledge  Simon  and  his  boys  as 
their  ancestors   in  4he  faith,  we  have   no  objection.     One 


ALETHAURION.  117 

thing  is  certain  that,  should  they  stretch  their  lines,  they 
will  connect  either  with  Simon  Peter  or  Simon  Magus. 
They  will  not  succeed  in  hitching  on  to  the  former  ;  but  we 
see  nothing  impossible  in  the  attempt  to  establish,  by  his- 
tory, an  unbroken  line  of  heresies,  extending  from  our  times 
to  those  of  Simon  the  magician.  What  the  Baptists  have 
to  prove  is  the  identity,  as  an  organization,  of  their  sect  with 
the  primitive  and  medieval  heresies.  Not  alone  that",  they 
must  establish  identity  of  doctrine.  This  cannot  be  done  ; 
neither  by  the  Baptists  nor  Wy  any  other  sect  of  modern 
times. 

In   our  next  we  will   treat  of  the   followers   of  Simon 
Magus. 


CHAPTER  XXV. 


FOLLOWERS  OF  SIMON  MAGUS. 

We  now  leave  Simon,  for  the  present,  in  a  corner  of  the  Ro- 
man amphitheater,  with  broken  shins  and  backbone  out  of 
joint,  an  object  of  contempt  to  those  whom  he  had  sought  to 
deceive.  Our  business,  in  the  present  chapter,  will  be  with 
his  followers. 

And  a  nasty  brood  they  are  to  contemplate.  Like  those 
monsters,  half  human,  half  beast,  that  are,  at  intervals, 
born  into  the  world,  their  appearance  shock  us.  They 
humble  human  pride  and  teach  us  how  low  unregenerate  man 
may  sink.  It  is  thus  with  heresy.  It  is  a  forced  union  of 
the  divine  and  the  diabolical.  When  we  see  painted,  the 
image  of  a  foul  dragon,  we  may  conceive  within  our  breasts 
feelings  of  loathing  or  of  fright,  as  the  case  may  be.  But 
when  we  look  on  the  form  of  a  man  with  the  head  of  a  dog  ; 
or  on  a  woman's  fair  face  united  with  and  terminating  in 
the  slimy  folds  of  a  serpent,  our  feelings  are  those  of  dis- 
gust and  humiliation. 


118  ALETHAURION . 

A  Catholic  of  tender  conscience  may  look  on  paganism 
with  the  feelings  of  hatred  due  the  demon,  of  whom  it  is  the 
legitimate  offspring.  But  heresy  he  must  ever  regard  with 
a  revulsion  of  spirit,  because  it  is  bastard  and  monstrous. 

EusEBius,  the  Father  of  Church  history,  tells  that  the 
Simonian  heresy  continued  in  existence  until  about  the  be- 
ginning of  the  fourth  century.  This  observation  of  the  his- 
torian may  tend  to  make  us  Catholics  cease  wondering  at 
the  length  of  time  the  Protestant  heresy  has  stood  its  ground. 
It  is  probable,  however,  that  at  the  period  mentioned,  there 
were  only  an  insignificantfewof  them,  and  these  so  changed, 
that  they  bore  but  little  resemblance  to  their  ancestors. 
That  such  was  the  case,  will  appear  probable,  from  a  pas- 
sage of  Origen  :  **The  Simonians  are  nowhere  to  be  found 
at  the  present  day,  although  Simon,  to  gain  Disciples,  did 
away  with  such  doctrines  as  exposed  his  followers  to  danger 
of  death,  saying  that  idolatry  was  a  matterof  in  differ- 
ence."    Cont.  Cels.  vi. 

These  words  show  that,  some  time  previous  to  the  middl 
of  the  third  century,  there  were  so  few  Simonians  that  even 
Origen  did  not  know  that  there  were  any  in  existence.  Be- 
fore the  Simonian  heresy  became  entirely  extinct,  it  devel- 
oped a  feature  noticeable  in  all  that  have  come  after  it.  It 
split  up  into  a  countless  number  of  smaller  sects. 

Menander,  a  Disciple  of  Simon,  and  like  him  a  Samari- 
tan, was  the  first  who  took  it  into  his  head  that  he  had  just 
as  good  a  right  to  make  a  new  religion  and  become  the  head 
center  of  a  new  sect  as  Simon  himself.  He  did  so.  About 
the  year  74,  during  the  reign  of  Vespasian,  our  hero  began 
to  work  miracles;  for  he  was  also  a  magician.  While  he 
did  not  entirely  condemn  the  doctrines  of  his  master,  he 
told  the  people  that,  he  was,  himself,  a  greater  man  tlian 
Simon  ever  was  or  dared  to  be.  This  was  evidently  a  kick 
at  the  dead  lion.  But,  as  the  magician's  Disciples  were  not 
overburdened  with  affection  for  his  memory,  they  went  over 
and  shouted   for  Menander.     We   have  noticed   the  same 


ALETHAURION.  119 

fickleness  of  character,  the  same  gaping  after  novelties  in 
religion,  among  the  heretics  in  the  rural  districts  of  this 
State.  Almost  any  preacher,  provided  he  come  big-mouthed 
and  swaggering,  can  raise  the  dust  without  effort.  A  new 
heresiarch,  like  a  new  broom,  sweeps  clean  for  a  time.  But 
it  is  only  the  vicious  he  takes  along  with  him.  Menander 
taught  his  Disciples  that  he  was  the  Saviour  of  mankind,  and 
that  no  one  could  obtain  entire  freedom  from  those  bad  an- 
gels, who,  according  to  him,  created  the  world,  unless  he 
first  learned  magic  and  had  the  happiness  of  being  baptized 
in  his  own  name.  To  those  so  christened  he  promises  en- 
tire freedom  from  old  age  and  death,  even  in  this  life. 

Menaxder,  no  doubt,  found  it  easy  to  persuade  the 
women  that  they  always  looked  young  and  handsome ; 
but  how  he  succeeded  in  showing  men,  that  wrinkles,  gray 
hairs,  and  toothless  jaws  were  not  signs  of  old  age,  this  is 
what  puzzles  us  to  know. 

Maybe  he  accounted  for  these  phenomena  in  the  same 
way  that  Calvinists  and  Hard-Shell  Baptists  do  for  the  fall- 
ing away  from  grace  of  a  Church  member.  According  to 
one  of  the  decisions  of  the  Calvinistic  Synod  of  Dordrecht, 
it  was  proclaimed,  as  a  truth  taught  in  the  Scriptures,  that 
when  a  man  is  once  justified  by  faith  in  Jesus  Christ  he 
can  never  movQ  fall  from  grace.  But  examples  occur,  even 
among  Calvinists  and  Hard-Shells,  of  such  indiscretions  as 
theft,  adultery,  drunkenness,  ewYy^  ^y^^^^  &c.  When  these 
are  so  palpable  that  disguise  is  impossible,  they  explain  by 
saying,  that  the  sin  is  either  not  imputed,  or,  that  the  au- 
thor of  them  was  never  truly  converted  to  the  Lord.  In  all 
probability,  Mexander  had  recourse  to  a  similar  subterfuge 
when  one  of  his  members  got  a  call  to  report  at  head- 
quarters. 

Menaxder  is  said  to  have  ended  his  life  by  falling  head- 
long into  a  pit.  There  he  perished  miserably  with  his  heels 
in  the  air,  vainly  trying  to  extricate  himself  from  the  mire 
that  surrounded  him. 


120  AT.ETH  AUEION . 

'  He  had  a  successor,  on  the  heresiarchal  chair,  Saturxixus, 
who  was  also  one  of  Sniox's  boys.  Saturxixus  was  of  An- 
tioch,  a  city  of  Syria.  This  wretch,  though  laying  no  claims 
to  divinity,  as  did  his  predecessors,  nevertheless  taught  many 
of  their  errors,  and  added  thereunto  others  of  his  own.  Ac- 
cording to  Saturxixus,  there  was  one  heavenly  Father,  un- 
known to  men.  This  unknown  God  created  anijels  and 
other  heavenly  powers.  Seven  of  the  former  created  this 
world,  and  also  man,  and  then  made  an  equal  division.  It 
was  a  joint  stock  company.  But  the  way  these  seven  angels 
created  man  is  amusing  and  may  interest  the  reader.  One 
day,  a  bright  apparition  from  heaven  presented  itself,  and  in- 
flamed them  with  a  desire  of  making  man.  They  set  about 
the  business  forthwith,  and  got  him  into  pretty  good  shape. 
Then  came  the  difficulty,  for  they  could  not  make  him  stand 
erect,  and  he  could  only  crawl  like  a  worm.  The  angels 
were  about  to  give  up  in  despair,  when  the  divine  virtue  came 
to  their  aid,  and  blew  the  spark  of  life  in  the  creature  which 
they  had  formed.  This  having  been  done  he  stood  up  and 
acted  like  a  man. 

Besides  these  follies,  Saturxixus  taught  his  Disciples  that 
the  God,  whom  the  Jews  worshipped,  was  one  of  the  angels 
created  by  the  great  unknown  God,  and  that  the  Saviour  was 
sent  into  the  world  by  the  Father  to  set  to  rights  the  God  of 
the  Jews,  and  at  the  same  time  to  save  all  those  who  be- 
lieved in  him. 

He  taught,  moreover,  that  the  angels  created  two  races  of 
men  ;  the  one  bad,  the  other  good.  Why  these  never  got 
mixed  by  intermarriage,  Saturxixus  did  not  explain.  But, 
as  the  bad  people  were  all  helped  along  by  the  devil,  the 
Saviour  came  on  earth  to  exterminate  both.  This  error  of 
Saturxixus  must  not  be  confounded  with  another,  which  had 
its  rise  in  the  seventeenth  century,  that  of  the  Pre-adamites 
and  Co-adamites.  By  this  is  meant  the  conceit  of  those  who 
maintained  that,  either  along  with,  or  before  Adam,  there 


ALETHAURION.  121 

was  created,  here  on  earth,  another  race  of  men,  altogether 
distinct  from  him. 

Saturninus  taught  that  the  person  of  Christ  was  not  real, 
and  that  all  he  did  and  suffered  was  only  in  appearance. 
This  error,  at  a  subsequent  period,  assumed  considerable 
proportions,  to  such  an  extent  that  it  became  a  distinguish- 
ing mark,  and  gave  name  to  a  sect  called  the  Phantasiasts. 

Our  hero  was  the  first  heretic  who  taught  that  marriage 
was  the  work  of  the  Demon.  The  Shakers,  therefore, 
ought  to  claim  him  as  the  founder  of  their  sect.  This  was 
certainly  a  strange  idea,  and  not  in  keeping  with  the  exam- 
ple of  the  two  that  went  before  him,  and  certainly  not  with 
the  conduct  of  those  who  came  after.  Heresiarchs,  as  a 
general  rule,  have  been  rather  indulgent,  especially  to  them- 
selves, in  the  matter  we  speak  of. 

We  presume,  however,  that  his  sermons  against  marriage 
were  equally  as  sincere  as  those  of  the  Good  Templars  of  our 
day  against  old  Bourbon,  just  about. 

Satcrnixus  met  a  fate  in  keeping  with  the  life  he  had  led. 
On  a  certain  day,  while  uttering  his  blasphemies  to  an  ad- 
miring crowd,  his  tongue  became  paralyzed,  and  continued  to 
grow  in  thickness  until  it  had  filled  his  mouth.  The  wretched 
man,  unable  to  take  food,  after  six  days  of  intense  suffering, 
shuffled  off  the  coil,  and  his  unwilling  spirit  wended  its  way 
to  the  Stygian  pool  and  the  dark  Cocytus,  on  whose  rueful 
banks  it  still  laments  the  follies  done  in  the  flesh. 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 


BASILIDES. 


Having  spoken  of  Mexaxder  and  Saturxixus  in  the  pre- 
vious chapter,  the  current  of  time  brings  us  to  Basilides. 
Though  not  an  immediate  Disciple  of  Simox  Magus,  he  was 
the  next  worst  thing  to  it,  a  Disciple  of  Mexaxder.     Hence, 


122  ALETHAUKION. 

Basilides  bears  the  same  relation  to  the  first  heresiarch, 
that  John  Wesley  and  Alexander  Cazupbell  do  to  Luther. 
He  was  a  chip  of  the  same  block,  a  sprout  from  the  parent 
stock,  a  tempest  in  a  tea-pot,  in  his  day  and  generation. 

Basilides  was  a  native  of  Alexandria,  in  Egypt ;  a  city  no 
less  celebrated  for  its  extensive  commerce  and  great  wealth 
in  those  days,  than  for  its  men  of  learning  and  genius. 
Among  the  latter  we  cannot  reckon  the  subject  of  our  sketch. 
No  heresiarch  was  ever  a  man  of  true  genuis.  Like  the 
eagle,  in  its  sunward  flight,  genius  soars  beyond  all  mean 
trickery.  It  draws  to  itself  and  retains  the  admiration  of 
good  men.  Its  possessor  approaches,  in  a  manner,  to  the 
angelic  intelligence.  Heresiarchs,  on  the  other  hand,  acquire 
notoriety  principally  by  their  obstinate  attachment  to  error  ; 
and,  so  far  as  we  can  gain  a  knowledge  of  them  by  the  light 
of  history,  they  all  appear  to  have  been  men  incapable  of 
distinguishing  what  truth  is.  We  may  say,  too,  without 
fear  of  contradiction,  that  the  names  of  but  few  indeed  of 
them  would  have  survived  the  decade  succeeding  their  de- 
mise, had  they  chosen  to  run  a  fair  race  with  their  contem- 
poraries on  that  course  marked  out  by  the  glorious  founder 
of  our  holy  faith. 

Heresiarchs  appear  to  lack  all  that  is  grand  in  our  human 
nature,  and  to  posses,  after  a  singular  manner,  those  qualities 
that  are  reputed  vile  and  ignoble  among  men.  They  draw 
to  their  aid  and  support  only  the  vicious,  because  they  pander 
to  the  passions,  to  the  lust  of  the  flesh,  the  lust  of  the  eyes^ 
and  the  pride  of  life. 

This  done,  they  think  out  hollow  systems  of  belief,  in 
which,  as  in  a  labyrinth,  they  loose  themselves  and  their 
followers. 

Basilides  had  his  system,  and  a  strange  one.  We  give 
it,  as  found  in  the  writings  of  the  ancient  Fathers.  Portions 
of  it  sound  like  the  ravins^s  of  some  of  our  modern  infidel 
philosophers,  when  they  undertake  to  tell  what  they  know 
about  religion.     But  we  have   already  cautioned  the  reader 


ALETHAURION.  123^ 

not  to  wonder  at  the  doings  and  sayings  of  heresiarchs. 
Even  the  Puritans,  of  New  England,  had,  at  one  time,  such 
an  absurd  idea  of  their  own  piety  that  they  confidently 
expected  no  less  a  recompense  than  that  the  Saviour  would 
leave  heaven  and  take  up,  for  good  company's  sake,  his 
abode  in  Boston.  Thus  it  has  been,  and  will  be,  with  those 
who  leave  the  way  of  truth — blown  about  by  every  wind  of 
doctrine. 

But,  let  us  return  toBASiLiDEs'  celebrated  system.  First 
of  all,  he  laid  it  down  as  a  principle,  that  there  was  one 
supreme  power.  This* he  called  Abrasax,  a  word  never 
known  nor  heard  of  before.  Abrasax  created  mind,  from 
mind  came  the  word,  from  the  word,  prudence,  from  pru- 
dence, virtue  and  wisdom.  From  virtue  and  ^\:isdom  came 
forth  principalities,  powers  and  angels.  The  angels,  inturn^ 
created  the  hi  oiliest  heaven,  and  other  inferior  anirels.  These 
created  another  heaven,  and  another  race  of  angels,  and  so 
on,  until  365  heavens  were  formed,  and  as  many  different 
choirs  of  angels,  rising  in  grade  one  above  the  other,  like 
steps  in  a  flight  of  stairs.  The  last  bevy,  having  been  toa 
weak  to  attempt  a  new  heaven,  showed  their  industry  by 
creating  this  earth.  The  captain-general  of  this  last  choir ^ 
according  to  Basilides,  was  no  other  than  the  God  of  the 
Jews.  He  audaciously  sought  to  place  his  chosen  people 
above  all  other  nations.  It  was  by  his  ingenuity  that  the 
Jews  were  liberated  from  Egyptian  bondage. 

This  idea  of  the  world  having  been  created  by  angels,  ap- 
pears to  have  been  held  by  most  of  the  heretics  of  the  first 
century.  Yet,  a  little  attention  to  a  couple  of  principles 
would  have  saved  them  and  us  from  all  their  vas^aries  on 
the  subject.  It  requires  an  infinite  power  to  create.  No 
finite  being  can  become  the  recipient  of  what  is  infinite. 

Basilides  taught  his  Disciples  that  Christ  did  not  take  a 
real  human  body  and  soul ;  and  that  he  was  not  crucified. 
But,  as  this  was  contrary  to  the  general  belief,  and  in  op- 
position to  the  testimony,  written  and  traditional,  of  the 


124  ALETHAURION. 

Apostles,  he  felt  that  some  explanation  ought  to  be  given. 

It  was  as  follows  :  When  the  Jews  led  the  Saviour  up  Mount 

Calvary,  he  feigned  fatigue,  whereupon  they  forced  Simon 

of  Cyene  to  carry  his  cross.     After  all  had  arrived  at  the 

top  of   the  Mount,   in  the   confusion  of  the  moment,   the 

Saviour  took  the  form  and  appearance  of  Sniox,  while  he 

was  made  to   assume  that  of  Christ,  and  was,   in  conse-  • 

quence  crucified  ;  while  Christ  stood  by  and  laughed.     Such 

SL  story  is  well  worthy  of  the  depravity  of  a  heretic. 

Basilides  condemned  martyrdom,  affirming,  that  such  as 

died  for  the  faith  received  no  reward  in  the  next   life.     He 

taught   his   Disciples,    in   times   of   persecution,    to    deny 

Christ,  and  that  in  so  doing  they  committed  no  sin.     But 

when  some  one  urged  the  well  known  text,  **  He  that  denies 

me  before  men,  him  will  I  also  deny  before  my  Father  who 

is  in  heaven,"  Matt.  x.  33,  the  heresiarch  answered  : 

'-'Trouble  not  thy  soul  -svlth  this  saying;  knowest  thou  not  that  the 
Disciples  of  Basilides  are  alone  worthy  of  the  name  of  men,  and  that 
all  others  are  but  swine  and  dogs.  You  must  not,  therefore,  by  openly 
professing  your  belief,  in  the  presence  of  such,  give  what  is  holy  to  the 
dogs,  nor  cast  your  pearls  before  swine." 

Our  hero  was  not  content  with  the  scriptures  WTitten  by 
the  Apostles  and  Evangelists,  so  he  undertook  to  write  a 
gospel  of  his  own.  But,  as  the  ancient  prophets  had  the 
misfortune  to  differ  wdth  him,  in  some  essential  respects, 
he  set  them  aside,  as  Luther,  at  later  period,  did  the 
epistle  of  St.  James,  and  invented  two  others  whose  writ- 
ings were  orthodox.  These  he  called,  respectively,  Barcoha 
and  Barcop.  The  writings  of  these  tv7o  prophets,  we 
presume,  had  been  hid  in  the  ground,  somewhere,  until 
Basilides,  directed  by  the  light  of  the  spirit,  discovered 
them,  much  in  the  same  way  that  Joe  Smith  discovered  the 
Book  of  Mormon.  By  the  aid  of  these  ancient  w^orks,  he 
found  no  difficulty  in  getting  up  a  gospel  suitable  to  his 
taste.  Clement  of  Alexandria  tells  us,  Strom,  iv,  that  he 
iilso  wrote  a  commentary  on  the  scriptures  in  twenty-three 
books.     What  a  pity  that  the  tooth  of  time,  and  the  mice, 


ALETHAURION.  125 

have  destroyed  these  precious  works.  But,  for  some  rea- 
son, the  works  of  the  ancient  heretics,  on  religious  matters, 
have  never,  been  able  to  stand  the  test  of  time  ;  we  have 
only  fragments  of  them  preserved  in  the  writings  of  the 
Fathers  of  the  Church,  like  motes  within  a  piece  of  amber. 

In  imitation  of  the  pagan  philosopher,,  Pythagoras,  our 
hero  commanded  all  his  Disciples  to  observe  a  strict  silence 
for  the  first  five  years  of  their  novitiate.  They  had  thus 
sufiicient  time  to  meditate  on  the  greatness  of  their  master^ 
and  on  their  own  nothingness.  At  the  end,  as  Eusebius 
testifies,  they  were  ceremoniously  treated  to  one  of  their 
master's  crumbs  of  wisdom.  It  was  in  these  words  :  '*  Take 
heed  that  you  know  all  things,  and  that  no  one  know& 
you."  Indeed,  this  was  appropriate  advice,  if  what 
Irexeus,Epiphanius  and  Theodoret  tell  of  their  corrupt 
morals  be  true 

Besides  the  errors  and  follies  already  noticed,  Basilides- 
denied  the  real  presence  of  our  Lord  in  the  Eucharist.  It 
is  the  opinion  of  learned  men,  that  it  is  of  him  and  his  fol- 
lowers Igxatius,  martyr,  speaks  in  his  epistle  to  the  faithful 
of  Smyrna,  where  he  uses  these  words : 

"  They  do  not  admit  the  Eucharist,  nor  oblations,  because  they  do  not 
confess  that  the  Eucharist  is  the  flesh  of  our  Saviour  Jesus  Christ, 
which  suffered  for  our  sins,  and  which  the  Father,  of  his  benignity,, 
raised  again  to  life." 

When  modern  sectarians,  who  deny  the  real  presence > 
come  across  such  words,  from  a  man  like  Ignatius,  who 
lived  in  apostolic  times,  we  are  curious  to  know  what  direc- 
tion their  thoughts  take.  They  cannot  advance  the  same 
reasons  for  denying  the  real  presence  as  did  Basilides  and 
his  followers.  Those  ancient  heretics  did  not  admit  the  mys- 
tery of  the  Incarnation,  and  hence,  their  refusal  to  admit 
the  real  presence  was  logical.  Whereas,  our  modern  here- 
tics, though  admitting  the  Incarnation,  still  deny  the  real 
presence  of  our  Lord's  flesh  and  blood  in  the  Sacrament. 
i  We  conclude,  with  a  brief  notice  of  the  personal  appear- 
ance of  our  hero.     In  stature,  Balilides  was  considerably 


126  ALETHAURION. 

above  the  middle  hight.  His  head,  which  appeared  to  rest 
immediately  on  a  pair  of  broad  shoulders,  was  small  and 
round,  well  protected  from  cold  in  winter,  and  the  sun's 
heat  in  the  summer  season,  by  a  matting  of  red  hair  that 
grew  down  almost  to  his  eyebrows.  His  eyes  were  placed 
far  apart,  and  under  ordinary  circumstances,  looked  dull 
and  meaningless.  When  excited,  however  by  any  want  of 
respect  on  the  part  of  his  disciples,  they  assumed  a  savage 
and  truculent  glare.  His  nose  was  short  and  elevated  at  the 
point,  but  his  mouth  was  enormous,  and  drawn  down  at  the 
corners. 

The  Pagan  inhabitants  of  Alexandria,  like  those  of  An- 
tioch,  were  remarkable  at  giving  nicknames.  Hence,  it  was 
not  likely  that  a  surly,  ill-favored  clown,  like  Basilides, 
could  have  long  escaped  the  notice  of  his  countrymen.  Ac- 
cordingly, after  he  had  brought  himself  into  public  notor- 
iety, partly  from  the  fact  that  he  was  continually  calling  all 
who  did  not  belong  to  his  sect,  dogs  and  swine,  but  more 
especially,  on  account  of  his  personal  appearance,  he  received 
the  name  of  Dioskyon;  which  translated  into  good  English, 
would  mean  Jupiter's  hull  pup. 

The  errors  of  Basilides  were  refuted  by  Ignatius  mar- 
tyr, partly  in  his  epistle  to  the  faithful  of  Tralles,  and  partly 
in  that  addressed  to  the  faithful  of  Smyrna.  Besides  Igna- 
tius, Castor  Agrippa,  Irencus,  Clement  of  Alexandria, 
and  Epiphanius,  each  in  turn,  applied  the  scourge  until 
there  was  nothing  left  of  the  heretic  but  a  name  and  an 
odor. 

In  the  next  we  treat  of  Cerinthus. 


ALETHAUKION.  127 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 


CERINTHUS. 

According  to  promise,  we  come  to  speak  now  of  Cerin- 
THUs."  He  is  the  fifth  in  order  from  Simon  Magus.  Many 
of  our  readers,  in  all  probability,  have  never  before  seen  his 
name  in  print.  Yet  he  was  a  sturdy  dog  in  his  day,  and 
made  some  noise  in  the  world.  Few,  indeed,  of  those  prim- 
itive heresiarchs  are  now  spoken  of,  or  even  thought  about, 
by  the  average  student  of  history.  As  soon  as  the  sects 
which  they  originated  ceased  to  exist,  their  names  sank,  in 
a  manner,  into  oblivion,  descended  to  the  vile  earth  from 
which  they  sprung,  unwept,  unhonored  and  unsung. 

The  names  of  the  Apostles,  on  the  other  hand,  and  of 
many  of  the  early  martyrs  of  our  holy  faith,  whose  lives 
the  Pagans  and  heretics  esteemed  a  madness,  are  still  in 
benediction  among  men,  and  will  remain  so  to  the  end  of 
time.  It  ought  to  be  thus.  The  notoriety  that  heresiarchs 
gain  is  purchased  at  a  cheap  price,  and  does  not  wear  well. 
They  ascend  withcut  labor,  and  descend  without  honor. 

Cerinthus,  the  subject  of  this  chapter,  studied  philosophy 
at  Alexandria,  in  Egypt.  By  philosophy,  may  be  here 
understood,  learning  in  general.  How  long  he  thumbed  his 
books,  we  are  not  informed.  Most  probably,  long  enough 
to  have  acquired  a  little  learning^  which  the  poet  tells  us  is 
a  dangerous  thing.  It  proved  so  in  his  case.  Scarcely  had 
he  declared  his  independence  of  the  ferrule,  when  he  began 
to  think  himself  wiser  than  the  Apostles.  He  got  so  bold 
as,  frequently,  to  resist  them  face  to  face  at  Antioch, 
Csesarea,  and  Jerusalem. 

This  conduct  reminds  us  of  a  young  stripling  nam^ed 
Smith,  who,  a  couple  of  years  ago,  on  finishing  his  course  at 
a  sectarian  seminary  in  this  State,  delivered  himself  of  an 


128  ALETHAURION. 

oration,  in  which  he  informed  the  assembled  lawyers,  doc- 
tors and  grangers,  that,  after  having  studied  the  bible 
thoroughly,  and  moreover,  having  convinced  himself  that 
there  was  nothing  more  for  him  to  learn  in  regard  to  it,  he 
had,  nevertheless,  come  to  .the  settled  conclusion,  that  it  was 
all  nonsense.  A  murmur  of  the  old  women  arose  when  he 
had  spoken  (Jiat  word,  because  they  all  thought  him  "smart," 
and  it  was  currently  reported  in  the  town,  of  which  he  was 
the  hero,  that  he  was  going  to  become  a  preacher.  The 
lawyers  and  rustics  were-also  amazed,  and  the  doctors  thought 
he  needed  pills.  Yet,  notwithstanding  all  this,  the  earth  did 
not  stop  turning  on  its  axis,  and  the  sun  arose  next  morning 
at  the  usual  time,  as  if  nothing  extraordinary  had  occurred. 

A  little  science  often  leads  astray,  whereas,  deep  research 
draws  men  to  the  truth,  if  their  hearts  are  not  bad,  and 
their  morals  not  corrupt. 

It  was  no  other  than  our  hero  Ceeixthus  who  raised  the 
commotion  at  Antioch,  of  which  mention  is  made  in  Acts 
XV.  He  asserted  that  Christians  were  bound  to  observe  the 
ceremonies  instituted  by  Moses  along  with  those  of  Christ. 
Paul  and  Barnabas,  w^ho  were  in  Antioch  at  the  same  time, 
expostulated  with  him  on  the  errors  of  his  ways.  But,  when 
was  a  heretic  ever  known  to  care  a  whit  for  St.  Paul,  or 
any  other  saint,  when  their  teaching  ran  counter  to  his 
theories  ?  The  question  at  issue  was  finally  referred  to  the 
Apostles  in  Jerusalem  ;  and  Cerinthus  was  invited  to  go 
thither  and  defend  his  opinions. 

Ever  since,  it  has  been  customary  to  invite  heresiarchs  to 
be  present  at  councils,  that  they  may  state  their  view^s  be- 
fore the  assembled  fathers,  and  defend  if  they  choose.  But 
the  errors  of  Cerinthus  could  not  stand  the  scrutiny. 
Hence,  when. Peter,  the  first  Pope,  arose  in  the  assembly 
and  cast  a  withering  glance  toward  the  heretics,  saying  at 
the  same  time : 

''"V^Thy  tempt  yoii  God,  to  put  a  yoke  upon  the  neck  of  the  Disciples, 
which  neither  our  fathers  nor  we  were  able  to  hear?"— Acts  xv,  10. 


ALETHAURION.  129 

They  held  their  peace.  Cerinthus  and  his  men  had  not  a 
word  to  say  ;  they  were  calmed  down,  mute  as  mice — sub- 
dued. No  doubt  that  case  of  Ananias  and  Saphira  was  yet 
fresh  in  their  memories,  and  they  thought  it  best  not  to 
arouse  the  lion's  wrath,  lest  there  might  be  another  funeral. 

But  Cerinthus,  on  having  been  allowed  to  retire,  re- 
gained his  former  contumacy  as  well  as  hypocrisy,  which 
latter  comes  as  natural  to  a  here^iarch,  as  the  art  of  swim- 
mins  to  a  goslino^.  He  continued  to  teach  his  errors,  and  to 
infuse  a  hatred  of  the  Apostles  into  the  minds  of  his  gang  of 
apostates.  This  same  spirit  of  hatred  toward  those  who,  at 
the  present  day,  hold  the  places  of  the  Apostles  in  the 
Church,  is  a  noticeable  feature  amonj?  sectarians.  Having: 
little  or  nothing  to  offer  capable  of  giving  peace  and  true 
consolation  to  the  souls  of  men,  the  ministers  of  heretical 
sects,  not  unfrequently  vent  their  impotent  rage  in  frothy, 
often  filthy  declamations  against  the  Pope,  the  bishops  and 
priesthood  of  the  Catholic  Church.  Even  as  we  write,  there 
is  here  in  Newport,  a  driveling,  straggling,  nincompoop 
preacher,  telling  people  what  he  says  he  knows  about  the 
confessional. 

The  errors  of  Cerinthus,  as  given  by  Ireneus,  book  i, 
chap.  XXV,  of  Heresies  ;  Theodoret,  book  ii,  chap.  5,  Haeretic 
Fab.  ;  St.  Augustine,  Treatise  on  Heresies ;  Eusebius, 
book  iii.  Church  history,  may  be  summed  up  as  follows  : 

He  taught  there  was  but  one  God  ;  and,  so  far,  he  was 
right.  But  men  of  his  class  can  never  stop  at  the  exact 
truth.  They  go  beyond  it,  and  get  themselves  entangled  in 
false  notions  and  theories  of  their  own.  According  to  Cer- 
inthus, the  supreme  God  did  not  create  the  heavens  and 
the  earth.  This  was  done  by  other  inferior,  yet  independ- 
ent powers. 

He  also  taught  that  the  Saviour,  before  His  baptism 
in  the  Jordan,  was  but  a  mere  man,  the  son  of  Joseph  and 
Mary.  He  remained  so,  until  the  time  spoken  of,  when  the 
Holy  Ghost  descended  upon  Him,  and   thenceforth,  until 


130  ALETHAURION. 

immediately  before  His  passion  and  death,  He  was,  in  truth, 
a  divine  personage.  At  the  commencement  of  His  passion, 
the  divinity  again  left  Him,  so  that  it  was  Jesus,  a  mere  man, 
and  not  Christ,  the  son  of  God,  whom  the  Jews  crucified. 

This  error  contradicts  the  mystery  of  the  Redemption.  If 
He  who  was  crucified  was  only  a  man,  the  infinite  debt,  con- 
tracted by  Adam,  remains  still  unpaid  to  the  Divine  Justice. 
How  much  more  consoling  to  us,  children  of  Adam,  is  the 
truth  on  this  point.  We  admit  the  debt  was,  in  a  manner, 
infinite  ;  but,  we  maintain  it  was  cancelled  by  a  sacrifice 
infinite  in  value;  because  the  victim  offered  was  no  other 
than  God  himself.  A  favorite  practice  with  heretics  in  all 
ages,  has  been  to  deny  the  authority  of  certain  portions  of 
the  Scripture,  and  change  those  retained  to  suit  their  notions. 
Cerixthus  was  not  at  all  backward  in  taking  that  liberty 
with  the  written  word,  which  men  of  his  ilk  have,  from  time 
immemorial,  regarded  as  a  birthright. 

He  mutilated  the  gospel  of  Matthew,  rejected  all  the 
epistles  of  Paul,  and  condemned,  outright,  the  Acts  of  the 
Apostles. 

We  are  not  surprised  at  his  condemnation  of  Acts.  Cer- 
ixthus, no  doubt,  had  a  good  opinion  of  his  own  abilities. 
All  heresiarchs  have.  Now,  in  the  book  we  speak  of,  his 
name  does  not  occur  once,  whereas,  that  of  Paul,  his  great 
opponent,  is  frequently  to  be  found.  What  more  natural, 
then,  than  that  he  should  have  condemned  so  one-sided  a 
history  as  the  book  of  Acts  must  have  appeared  to  him. 

Cerixthus  had  not  only  his  own  natural  ability  to  help 
him  along,  but  also  frequent  and  important  revelations  from 
an  angel.  This  was,  in  all  probability,  the  very  same  one, 
at  whom  Luther  threw  the  ink  bottle.  He  differs  from  the 
others  we  read  about,  inasmuch  as  he  has  the  wings  of  a  bat 
instead  of  a  bird 

Along  with  the  errors  and  follies  spoken  of,  Cerixthus 
taught  his  Disciples  that,  after  the  last  judgment,  Christ 
would  not  ascend  with  the  just  to  heaven,  but  would  change 


ALETHAURION.  131 

this  earth  into  a  paradise  for  their  benefit.  The  capitol  was 
to  be  Jerusalem,  where  the  Saviour  was  to  take  up  his  abode 
with  the  elect  for  a  thousand  years.  During  this  period, 
feasting,  revelling  and  promiscuous  gaiety  was  to  be  the 
order  of  the  day.  But,  whither  the  revellers  were  to  betake 
themselves  after  the  time  was  up,  he  did  not  explain. 

The  manner  in  which  Cerixtiius  took  leave  of  this  world 
and  its  vanities  is  peculiar.  After  having  traveled  through 
several  of  the  oriental  countries,  in  youth,  he  turned  his 
face  westward,  in  the  evening  of  life,  and  landed  like  his 
great  prototype  Simox,  in  the  city  of  the  C.^sars.  As  he 
was  one  day  gyrating  through  the  streets  of  the  great  capitol, 
he  met  St.  John,  the  beloved  Disciple  of  our  Lord.  ''  Do 
you  know  me?"  said  Cerixthus  to  him.  *'Yery  well," 
rejoined  the  Apostle.  '*You  are,  if  I  mistake  not,  the  oldest 
living  son  of  the  devil.'''  This  was  rather  unkind  language  on 
the  part  of  St.  JoHX.  One  of  our  modern  liberal  Catholics 
could  have  taught  him  to  be  more  polite  to  a  gentleman 
like  Cerixthus.  But  then,  the  Apostles  were  a  rough  kind 
of  men,  and  did  not  understand  the  good  service  they  might 
have  got  out  of  heretics,  by  treating  them  with  lofty  con- 
sideration. The  conference  ended  abruptly.  St.  Johx 
went  away  in  another  direction.  He  wished  to  teach  by  ex- 
ample what  St.  Paul  had  done  by  word,  to  ^' avoid  an 
heretical  many  Tit.  iii,  10.  Cerixthus  was  cut  to  the  quick, 
and  followed  the  Apostle  and  his  companions  into  one  of 
the  public  baths,  intending  to  offer  insult  and  personal  vio- 
lence to  the  Evangelist.  But  God  had  numbered  his  days 
and  finished  them.  On  seeing  him,  St.  Johx  said  to  those 
with  him  :  *'Let  us  fly  from  this  house  that  holds  Cerix- 
thus, lest  falling,  it  may  oppress  us."  Scarcely  had  they 
passed  the  threshold,  when  an  earthquake  reduced  the  edifice 
to  a  heap  of  ruins.  The  unfortunate  man,  on  finding  that 
his  day  had  come,  gave  one  fiendish  shriek,  in  which  rage 

tspair  strove  for  the  mastery.     Then  his  soul,  polluted 


132  ALETHAURION. 

with  many  crimes,  sped  on  its  way  to  Pluto's  realms  of 
sorrow,  where  we  leave  him. 

Our  next,  will  treat  of  the  Millennium, 


CHAPTER  XXYIII. 


THE    MILLENNIUM. 

In  the  last  chapter  we  spoke  of  the  heresiarchCERiNTHus. 
Among  the  other  errors  and  the  follies  taught  by  him,  was 
that  concerning  the  Millennium.  The  reader,  no  doubt, 
wishes  to  learn  something  about  this  word,  and  the  idea  it  is 
intended  to  express.  Millennimn  is  a  compound,  made  up 
of  two  Latin  words,  mille,  which  means  a  thousand,  and 
annus,  which  signifies  a  year.  Hence,  taken  by  itself, 
apart  from  historical  connection.  Millennium  means  nothing 
more  nor  less  than  a  period  of  a  thousand  years. 

Many,  who  have  heard,  and  maybe  used  the  expression, 
have,  without  doubt,  connected  with  it  ideas  of  a  state  of 
happiness  and  security,  similar  to  that  enjoyed  by  our  first 
parents  before  the  fall.  The  word  certainly,  by  reason  of 
its  historical  associations,  has  acquired  the  latter  significa- 
tion.    How  it  happens  to  be  thus,  we  now  hasten  to  tell. 

Among  the  greater  portion  of  the  heretics  of  the  first  cen- 
tury, drunkenness,  gluttony,  and  the  indulgence  of  lustful 
desires  were  carried  to  a  shocking  excess.  Having  had  no 
well-grounded  hope  of  a  felicity  beyond  the  tomb,  they 
sought  it  here,  by  giving  loose  reins  to  those  propensities 
that  are  reputed  vile  and  beastly. 

But,  as  the  free  indulgence  in  such  pleasures  failed  to 
give  that  happiness  they  had  expected  ;  as,  on  the  contrary, 
after  years  of  dissipation  and  debauchery,  they  found  them- 
selves the  victims  of  loathsome  diseases,  and  of  despair ; 
they  fondly  imagined  that,  hereafter,  there  would  be  a 
blessed  period,  within  which  they  could  indulge  their  wicked 


ALETHAURION.  133 

desires,  without  any  of  the  sad  consequences  that  follow  the 
continued  infringment  of  those  physical  laws  that  govern 
man  in  his  present  state. 

Such  ideas  were,  at  the  commencement,  vague  and  unde- 
fined in  the  minds  of  those  wretched  heretics.  It  is  proba- 
ble that  the  impostor  Mohammed,  at  a  later  period,  bor- 
rowed from  them  the  conceptions  of  the  future  state  of  bliss 
which  he  promised  as  a  reward  to  all  his  faithful  followers. 

We  have  said  that  such  ideas  were,  at  first,  somewhat 
undefined.  Hence,  some  ingenious  inventor  of  lies  was 
required,  to  give  definite  shape  and  a  name  to  that  vain 
thought. 

Cerinthus  was  the  man,  being  adapted  by  nature,  and 
by  years  of  self -training  for  the  work.  Though  miserable 
and  haggard  in  his  appearance,  with  club  feet  and  a  with- 
ered left  hand,  he  had  qualities  of  mind  that  insure  success, 
and  even  admiration  to  their  possessor,  among  heretics. 

Without  apparent  preparation,  he  could,  at  any  time, 
entertain  his  hearers,  for  an  hour  or  more,  with  a  tissue  of 
circumstantial  falsehood,  that  appeared,  at  first  hearing,  to 
possess  the  coherence  of  truth  itself.  It  was  he  first  fossi- 
lized the  folly  of  the  multitude  in  the  word,  millennium. 

The  following  is  the  manner  in  which  things  were  to  be 
arranged.  After  the  last  judgment,  the  wicked,  viz  :  All 
those  who  did  not  belong  to  his  sect,  were  to  be  chased  by 
the  demons  with  thunder  and  lio:htninor  into  the  lake  burn- 
ing  with  fire  and  brimstone.  Then  Christ  would  change 
this  earth  into  a  paradise,  of  which  the  New  Jerusalem  was 
to  be  the  capitol  city.  Here,  for  the  period  of  a  thousand 
years,  the  time  would  pass  gaily  in  nuptial  feasting,  and  in 
the  unrestrained  indulgence  in  all  the  animal  passions. 

Such  ideas  of  future  felicity  are  so  repugnant  and  foreign 
to  our  notions  of  the  pure  enjoyments  of  heaven,  and  so 
contradictory  to  all  we  know  of  the  life  and  teachings  of 
our  Divine  Redeemer,  that  they  scarcely  deserve  a  refuta- 
tion. 


134  ALETHAURION. 

Nevertheless,  we  may  bring  forward  here  a  few  texts  of 

scripture  that  plainly  contradict  the  millennial  theory,  as 

advocated  by  Cerinthus.     In  Matthew  xxii,  30,  we  read 

these  words  of  the  Saviour,  addressed  to  the  Sadducees, 

who  had  been  questioning  him  on  the  subject  of  marriage, 

in  the  next  life  : 

"In  the  resurrection,"  said  he,  "they  shall  neither  marry,  nor  be  given 
in  marriage,  but  shall  be  like  unto  the  angels  of  God." 

This  text  sets  aside  all  notions  of  those  £:ross  and  carnal 
pleasures  dreamed  of  by  the  heresiarch,  as  peculiar  to  the 
Millennial  period. 

Secondly,  the  Millennium,  according  to  Cerinthus,  was  to 
come  after  the  last  judgment,  and  was  to  continue  only  for 
a  thousand  years.  Now  these  two  notions  are  clearly  at  var- 
iance with  plain  and  well  understood  passages  of  the  sacred 
writings.  In  Luke  i,  32,  33,  the  angel,  when  addressing 
the  Blessed  Virgin,  and  speaking  of  the  son  which  she  was 
to  bring  forth,  says  : 

"  He  shall  reign  in  the  house  of  Jacob  forever,  and  of  his  kingdom 
there  shall  be  no  end^^ 

From  these  words  we  may  rightly  infer  that  the  future 
kingdom  of  Christ  is  to  last,  not  alone  for  a  thousand 
years,  but  for  all  eternity. 

A  terrestrial  paradise,  after  the  last  judgment,  is  also  very 

clearly  set  aside  by  what  we  read  in  Matt,  xxv,  34,  where 

are  given  the  words  with  which  Christ  will  receive  the  elect 

on  the  day  of  final  retribution : 

"  Come  ye  blessed  of  my  Father,  possess  the  kingdom  prepared  for  you 
from  the  foundation  of  the  world.'''' 

Hence,  the  good,  after  judgment  day,  will  possess  a  king- 
dom, prepared  not  then,  but  one  created  from  the  founda- 
tion of  the  world. 

Now,  that  we  have  given  the  reader  a  statement  of  the 
Millennium,  as  planned  by  Cerinthus,  and  adduced  passages 
of  the  scriptures  that  at  once  pulverize  such  a  monstrous  air- 
castle,  we  do  not  think  it  would  be  just  to  withhold  the 


ALETHAURION.  135 

knowledge  of  the  fact  that  even  many  of  the  more  ancient 
Fathers  were  also  believers  in  an  earthly  paradise,  to  last  a 
thousand  years.  After  which  the  blessed  would  be  trans- 
lated to  heaven,  there  to  enjoy  the  beatific  vision  and  be 
happy  for  eternity  in  the  possession  of  God.  It  must  be 
borne  in  mind,  however,  that  they  did  not  knowingly  borrow 
the  idea  of  Cerixthus. 

The  Fathers  of  the  Church,  in  ancient  times,  were  aware 
of  the  fact  that  they  had  nothing  to  learn  from  heretics. 
They  knew  that  in  the  scriptures  and  the  divine  traditions 
of  the  Church  were  contained  all  the  truths  necessary  for 
man  to  know,  in  order  to  be  saved.  Hence,  unlij^e  some  of 
our  modern  chivalrous  doctors,  they  did  not  in  their  writings 
pull  the  sting  out  of  the  truth,  lest  it  might  wound  the  feel- 
ings of  the  heterodox.  They  did  not  spare  the  lash,  because 
they  did  not  value  the  praises  of  those  whose  backs  required 
it.  They  did  not  squint  after  puffs  from  heretics,  because 
they  knew  that  ''the  approbation  of  fools  is  ignominy." — 
Prov.  Ill,  35. 

The  writer  willingly  confesses  that  he  has  not  read  all  that 
the  Fathers  have  written.  But,  of  those  portions  that  he 
has  read,  he  can  safely  say  that  he  has  found  nothing  in 
them  that  might  lead  him  to  suppose  that  their  authors  had 
even  the  remotest  idea  of  attempting  the  difficult  feat  of 
catching  two  hares  at  once,  in  an  open  field — of  stating  the 
truth,  and  giving  satisfaction  to  the  enemies  of  the  Church 
at  the  same  time. 

When  an  heretical  man,  who  is  not  a  simpleton,  praises 
the  writings  of  a  Catholic  divine  on  a  controverted  point,  it 
is  a  clear  proof  that  the  said  writings  are  worthless.  A  wild 
goose  can  never  be  taught  to  admire  the  flap  of  the  eagle's 
wing,  and  a  man  has  an  instinctive  dislike  to  what  he  feels 
is  really  damaging  to  a  cause  with  which  he  is  indentified. 
Luther  hated  the  8umma  TJieologica  of  Thomas  Aquixas. 

We  doubt  very  much  whether  any  one  of  our  readers  has 
ever  seen  in  a  Protestant  newspaper,  or  heard  from  the  lips 


136  ALETHAUKION. 

of  a  Protestant  preacher,  a  single  word  in  praise  of  an  allocu- 
tion or  encyclical  letter  of  Pius  IX, 

But  we  have  read  extravagant  encomiums  from  Protestant 
pens  of  a  couple  of  works  of  these  latter  days,  which  we 
believe  have  been  of  about  as  much  service  to  the  cause  of 
truth  and  the  Church,  as  a  jDainted  wooden  sword  would 
have  been  to  the  cause  of  Grecian  liberty  at  the  battle  of 
Marathon. 

We  have  been  led  to  these  digressionary  remarks  with 
the  view  of  showing  that  the  Fathers  of  the  Church,  in  prim- 
itive times,  were  not  the  men  to  copy  or  imitate  the  follies 
of  heretics.  Hence,  if  we  find  some  of  them  entertaining 
notions  about  a  Millennium,  we  are  not  to  suppose  for  a 
moment  that  they  were  borrowed  from  Cerinthus,  but  that 
they  had  an  origin  altogether  distinct.  What  this  origin 
w^as,  we  will  explain  in  a  future  chapter. 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 


THE    MILLENNIUM. 

In  our  last  chajJter  we  spoke  of  the  Millennium,  as  advo- 
cated by  Cerixtiius.  We  saw  that  the  ideas  entertained  by 
him  of  this  ble^ssed,  but  imaginary  period,  were  inconsistent 
with  certain  plain  pat^sages  of  the  inspired  writings.  Hence, 
we  rejected  the  entire  story  as  an  heretical  fable. 

There  is,  however,  another  very  ancient  belief  on  this 
subject,  w^iich,  though  likewise  false,  is  yet  deserving  of 
more  respect,  on  account  of  the  good  names  connected 
with  it. 

Certain  it  is  that  several  of  the  most  ancient  Fathers,  such 
as  Justin  Martyr,  Ireneus,  Tertullian  and  others,  were 
believers  in  a  Millennium.  Theirs,  however,  was  different 
from  that  dreamt  of  by  Cerinthus.  In  the  opinion  of  the 
Fathers,  of  whom  we  have  spoken,  the  jMillennium  would 


ALETHAURION.  137 

be  the  one  thousand  years  immediately  preceding  the  day  of 
general  judgment.  At  the  beginning  of  that  period  Christ, 
the  Saviour,  was  to  come  on  earth  again,  and  live  among  men 
in  a  visible  manner. 

All  wars  would  cease,  and  justice,  peace  and  happiness  be 
the  lot  of  man.  Thus  the  good  would  have  a  foretaste,  on 
earth,  of  the  things  that  were  in  store  for  them  beyond  the 
skies. 

This  idea  of  a  Millennium  is  certainly  a  pleasing  thought 
to  dwell  on,  nor  should  we  tread  otherwise  than  lightly  on 
the  graves  of  those  venerable  men,  our  ancestors  in  the  faith, 
who  fondly  looked  for  such  an  epoch  of  peace  and  blessed- 
ness on  earth. 

Yet  the  interest  of  truth  requires  us  to  state  that  such  an 
expectation,  on  their  part,  was  indeed  a  vain  one.  The  life 
of  man  will  always  be,  as  it  was  in  the  days  of  holy  Job,  a 
warfare  upon  this  earth.     Job.  viii,  1. 

It  is  only  after  the  Archangel  shall  have  stood,  with  one 
font  upon  the  sea  and  one  foot  upon  the  land,  and  shall  have 
sworn,  by  the  authority  of  God,  that  time  shall  be  no  more, 
that  the  children  of  Adam  will  enjoy  that  peace  and  happi- 
ness of  body  and  soul  so  fondly  hoped  for  by  the  millennial 
Fathers. 

Papias,  the  bishop  of  Hierapolis,  appears  to  have  been  the 
first  of  the  ancient  Fathers  who  believed  in  a  Millennium. 

He  was  the  Disciple  of  Joiix  the  Elder  ( not  the  Apos- 
tle), and  like  the  vast  majority  of  those  bishops  of  the 
l^rimitive  days,  was  a  man  of  rare  and  solid  piety,  united 
with  a  zeal  that  death  alone  could  extinguish.  He  had, 
however,  a  propensity,  which,  though  innocent  in  itself,  is 
apt  to  lead  its  professor  estray,  if  not  regulated  by  good 
judgment. 

He  was  untiring  in  his  efforts  to  learn  all  about  the  Apos- 
tles. Old  men  who  had  seen  and  conversed  with  them  were 
always  welcome  visitors  at  his  house.  They  were  invited  to 
tell  all  they  knew,  and  our  good  bishop  took  down  carefully 


138  AI.ETHAUEION. 

the  substance  of  what  he  had  heard,  without  ever  questioning 
the  veracity  of  the  author. 

His  own  goodness  of  heart  and  truthfulness,  united  with  a 
proclivity  for  listening  to  marvelous  stories,  seemed  to  have 
prevented  the  idea  from  once  entering  his  mind  that  people 
will  sometimes  exaggerate,  and  even  descend  to  falsehood. 

The  upshot  of  all  this  misplaced  confidence  was  that  in 
the  book  written  by  him,  and  entitled  :  ''An  Exposition  of 
the  Words  of  our  Lord,"  he  got  bad,  good  and  indifferent 
things  hopelessly  mixed.  One  of  these  items  was  that 
reffardinsr  a  Millennium. 

We  remarked  in  the  previous  chapter  that  those  of  the 
early  Fathers,  who  were  believers  in  the  Millennium,  did  not 
get  the  idea  from  heretics.  That  is  true  of  all  those  who 
came  after  Papias.  They  appear  to  have  been  led  into  the 
mistake  by  his  book.  But,  so  far  as  Papias  himself  is  con- 
cerned, the  matter  is  not  as  clear. 

We  know  that  heretics  are  very  uncertain  quantities. 
Hence,  it  is  just  possible  that  some  old  gray-headed  follower 
of  Cerixthus  might  have  palmed  himself  off  as  a  good 
Catholic  on  such  an  innocent  and  unsuspecting  man,  and  told 
him  a  long  tale  about  the  Millennium,  as  something  he  had 
heard  from  the  Apostles. 

Papias  was  always  open  to  conviction,  especially  when 
loud  sounding  stories  were  told  him.  We  can  easily  imagine 
we  see  the  good  man,  all  eyes  and  ears,  with  his  parchment 
extended  before  him  on  the  table,  taking  down  all  the  facts 
and  circumstances  of  the  wonderful  tale,  as  they  came  from 
the  lips  of  his  oily,  but  unscrupulous  guest.  Eusebius,  the 
Father  of  Church  history,  while  praising  the  simple  piety 
and  zeal  of  Papias,  confesses,  nevertheless,  that  he  was  a 
man  of  very  slender  intellectual  powers  {ingenii  quidem 
pertenuis).  We  can  well  admit  that  there  must  have  been 
a  deficiency,  somewhere  or  other,  in  the  mental  faculties  of 
a  man  who  was  so  unreasonably  credulous. 

Though  Papias  is  justly  blamed  by  the  historian  for  too 


ALETHAURION.  139 

much  credulity,  yet  we  do  not  wish  to  conceal  a  circum- 
stance that  may  be  urged  in  his  favor.  His  surmises  about 
the  Millennium  may  not  have  been  based  altogether  on  the 
mere  heresay  of  persons  whose  authority  was  questionable. 

There  is,  in  fact,  a  very  obscure  passage  in  the  Book  of 
Revelation  that  could  easily  have  been  twisted  by  himself,  or 
by  others  for  him,  into  a  prophecy  of  a  future  Millennium. 
We  give  the  entire  passage,  and  an  explanation  of  it,  which 
we  have  taken,  substantially,  from  St.  Augustine,  De  Civi- 
tate  Bei,  book  xx,  ch.  7,  8,  9.  The  passage  reads  as 
follows : 

"  Aud  I  saw  an  angel  coming  down  from  heaven,  having  the  key  of 
the  bottomless  pit,  and  a  great  chain  in  his  hand.  And  he  laid  hold  on 
the  dragon,  the  old  serpent,  which  is  the  devil  and  satan,  and  bound  him 
for  a  thousand  years.  And  he  cast  him  into  the  bottomjess  pit  and  shut 
him  up,  and  set  a  seal  on  him,  that  he  should  no  more*educe  the  nations, 
till  the  thousand  j^ears  be  finished :  and  after  that  he  must  be  loosed  a 
little  time."  (Rev.  xx.) 

The  thousand  years  spoken  of,  during  which  Christ  is  to 
reign  with  the  saints,  mean,  according  to  St.  Augustine,  not 
the  Millennium  of  Papias,  but  the  entire  period  from  the 
Saviour's  death  to  the  coming  of  Antichrist. 

The  word,  a  thousand,  is  often  taken  in  the  scriptures  to 
signify  a  very  large,  but  indefinite  number.  Pss.  104,  89  ; 
Job  9.  The  angel  that  descended  from  heaven  and  bound 
Satan,  is  no  other  than  the  Saviour,  who  by  His  death  and 
passion  broke  the  power  of  Satan.  '*  And  he  cast  him  into 
a  bottomless  pit."  By  the  bottomless  pit  we  may  undei- 
stand  the  hearts  of  impious  men,  such  as  that  of  Bismarck. 
He  is  said  to  be  cast  into  the  bottomless  pit,  not  because  he 
did  not  exist  there  already,  but,  being  forbidden  from  taking 
possession  of  true  believers,  he  takes,  on  that  account,  more 
formal  possession  of  the  wicked.  In  other  words,  being  cast 
OMt  oi  the  man,  he  takes  control  of  the  sicine,  and  urges 
them  on  to  the  precipice.  Bismarck,  for  example,  may  be 
said  to  be  now  more  perfectly  possessed  by  the  devil  than 
he  was  before  he  began  to  persecute  the  followers  of  the 


140  ALETHAURION. 

Saviour.  <*And  set  a  seal  upon  him  that  he  should  no  more 
seduce  the  nations,  till  the  thousand  years  be  finished." 
That  is,  the  Saviour  restricted  the  power  of  Satan,  and  pre- 
vented him  from  any  longer  seducing  the  predestined.  The 
seal  was  set  that  it  might  not  be  known  in  this  world  who 
those  are  that  appertain  to  Satax,  and  who  do  not.  *'And 
after  that  he  must  be  loosed  for  a  little  while."  That  is, 
when  the  tliousand  years  are  finished,  in  other  words,  when 
the  end  of  the  world  is  about  to  come,  or  about  three  and  a 
half  years  before  the  day  of  general  judgment,  Satan  will 
again  be  let  loose,  and  by  means  of  Antichrist,  will  raise 
such  a  persecution  and  commotion  in  the  world,  as  shall  not 
have  been  seen  since  time  began.  Now,  though  this  passage 
of  scripture,  rightly  understood,  is  far  from  proving  that 
there  will  be  a  Millennium,  yet  it  must  be  confessed  there 
is  enough  in  it  to  have  strengthened  in  his  belief  such  a  man 
as  Papias. 

In  our  next  we  will  treat  of  Ebion  and  the  N'icJiolaites, 


CHAPTER  XXX. 


EBION  AND   NICIIOLAUS. 

We  now  approach  the  close  of  the  first  century  of  the 
Christian  era,  and  have  to  notice  only  two  more  heresiarchs. 
The  one  was  called  Ebion,  and  the  other  rejoiced  in  the  cog- 
nomen of  NiCHOLAUS.  Ebion  comes  first,  in  order  of  time, 
and  we  give  him  the  same  place  in  this  notice. 

The  origin  of  this  wretch  is  involved  in  obscurity.  The 
following  facts,  however,  regarding  him,  are  gleaned  from 
ancient  writings.  He  was  by  race  a  Jew,  and  appears  to  have 
been  a  man  of  little  or  no  education.  Whether  this  hap- 
pened by  reason  of  neglect,  or  because  his  intellect  was  such 
as  not  to  admit  of  polish  from  books,  we  are  unable  to  state 
with  accuracy  sufficient  to  make  a  record  of  it  here. 


ALETHAUEION.  141 

His  name,  Ebion,  signifies  in  Hebrew  a  beggar.  But, 
whether  he  got  the  title  on  account  of  extreme  poverty,  or 
because  of  his  naturally  low  and  sordid  nature,  it  would  be 
hard  to  tell  at  this  late  day.  In  person,  Ebion  was  rather 
below  the  middle  size,  but  he  had  an  iron  constitution.  His 
hair,  which  he  allowed  to  flow  down  on  his  shoulders,  was 
gray  from  early  youth.  Yet  there  was  nothing  venerable  in 
his  countenance,  nothing  that  called  forth  the  respect  of 
those  who  happened  to  come  into  contact  with  him.  Quite 
the  contrary.  His  face  lacked  every  manly  trait.  His  chin 
was  short,  and  so  shaped  as  to  give  the  mouth  a  form  like 
that  of  a  half  opened  clam.  The  forehead  was  receding  and 
narrow,  the  eyes  dull  and  bloodshot,  looking  as  if  they  had 
been  taken  out  and  boiled,  at  some  period  of  his»life,  and 
then  carelessly  reset. 

How  such  a  man,  deformed  in  features,  with  intelligence 
scarcely  superior  to  a  baboon,  could  have  succeeded  in 
becoming  the  author  of  a  sect,  may  well  excite  wonder. 
The  heart  of  man  is  certainly  a  mystery.  Yet  if  we  look 
into  the  matter,  it  will  not  appear  more  strange  that  Ebiox 
should  have  had  followers,  than  that  men,  otherwise  intelli- 
gent, among  the  Pagans,  should  have  adored  idols  of  wood 
and  stone.  Heresy  and  all  false  religions  are  species  of 
idolatry.  They  spring  from  human  pride,  and  are  so  many 
rebellions  against  God,  and  the  order  which  He  has  estab- 
lished here  on  earth. 

Without  going  all  the  way  to  the  dominions  of  Beelzebub 
to  find  a  reason  for  their  existence,  we  may  discover  one 
nearer  home.  It  may  be  found,  in  germ,  in  the  heart  of 
every  man  whom  vice  has  depraved. 

Take  any  one,  whose  pride  and  self-conceit  are  inordinate, 
and  he  will  with  great  difficulty  give  due  honor  to  his  equals. 
Not  only  will  such  a  one  refuse  to  recognize  the  merits  of  an 
equal,  he  will  try  to  diminish  the  glory  of  a  superior,  because 
in  every  one  that  is  exalted  above  him,  he  sees  an  obstacle 
to  the  recognition  of  his  own  supposed  merits. 


142  ALETHAURION. 

What  more  natural,  then,  than  that  the  Pagans  of  old, 
inflated  as  they  were  with  pride,  should,  in  the  words  of  St. 
Paul: 

'^  Have  changed  the  glorj'  of  the  incorruptible  God  into  the  likeness  of 
the  image  of  a  corruptible  man,  and  of  birds,  and  of  four-footed  beasts, 
and  of  creeping  things."    Komans  I,  23. 

By  doing  so,  they  placed  themselves  above  what  they 
worshipped.  Every  time  Julius  Caesar  took  a  censer  into 
his  hands  before  the  statue  of  Hercules,  his  pride,  instead 
of  being  diminished,  was  greatly  increased,  because  he  felt 
his  own  superiority  to  the  statue  that  he  affected  to  adore. 
Man,  by  idolatry,  places  himself  above  God,  and  this  is 
why  the  worship  of  an  idol  is  the  greatest  sin  a  man  can 
commit.  There  is  more  genuine  malice  in  it  than  in-  any 
other  crime. 

The  heretic,  too,  offers  incense  to  a  statue,  and  thinks  he 
glorifies  himself.     But  he  glories  in  his  shame. 

DoLLixGER,  Reinkins,  tt  ill.  II,  could  iiot  bear  the  mild 
and  heavenly  authority  of  Pius  IX,  and  yet  they  lick  the 
dust  before  Dagon  Bismarck.  We  have  seen  heretics  won- 
dering, more  than  once,  at  the  respect  and  love  shown  by 
Catholics  toward  the  bishop  and  priests  of  the  Church. 

We  have  heard  them  making  light  of  it.  Yet  if  such 
persons  had  only  enough  of  intelligence,  they  would  see  at 
once  that  the  Catholic,  in  honoring  the  priest  or  bishop,  does 
so  because  he  recognizes  in  them  the  representatives  of 
God. 

But  how  is  it  with  the  heretics.  They  get  on  that  pedes- 
tal, which  they  call  the  pulpit,  some  idol  of  a  preacher;  they 
offer  him  incense,  but  never  the  respect  nor  submission  that 
Catholics  entertain  for  their  prelates ;  but  just  as  soon  as 
their  idol  begins  to  be  anything  else  but  an  idol,  they  break 
and  pitch  him  out  of  doors. 

These  observations  may  throw  some  light  on  Ebion's  case. 
The  driveller  got  followers  from  among  men  imbued  with 
the  spirit  of  heresy,  on  the  same  principle  that  dogs  and  cats 
had  worshippers  at  Memphis. 


ALETHAURION.  143 

Let  us  now  consider  some  of  his  errors.  Ebiox  taught 
his  followers  that  Christ  was  only  a  mere  man.  Yet  not 
all  his  Disciples  believed  this.  Some  of  them  admitted  that 
Christ  w^as  indeed  conceived  by  the  Holy  Ghost,  yet 
denied  that  He  had  a  being  prior  to  His  conception.  St. 
Jerome,  m  catal  script  eccles^.says  it  was  to  refute  this  error 
that  St.  Johx  w^rote  his  gospel.  Hence,  at  the  beginning, 
the  Evangelist  lays  down  the  doctrine  that  the  Word  was 
with  God,  and  the  Word  was  God. 

Ebiox  also  taught  that  the  Mosaic  rites  and  sacraments 
were  to  be  observed,  along  with  those  instituted  by  Christ. 
He  appears  to  have  copied  this,  along  with  some  other  bright 
ideas,  from  his  predecessor  or  cotemporary,  Cerinthus. 

He  rejected  all  the  gospels,  except  that  of  Matthew, 
which  he  called  the  gospel  according  to  the  Hebrews. 

Our  hero  could  not  bear  to  hear  the  name  of  Paul  men- 
tioned. He  rejected  all  the  letters  of  the  great  Apostle,  and 
called  him  an  apostate.  This  reminds  us  of  an  Episcopal 
minister  we  once  met,  who  called  the  Pope  a  heretic. 

St.  Paul  appears  to  have  been  particularly  hateful  to  most 
■of  those  primitive  heretics,  and  we  may  presume  he  often 
gave  them  cause.  Modern  heretics  affect  to  be  very  fond  of 
him  and  his  teachings.  But,  were  he  to  return  to  earth,  he 
would  make  their  ears  tingle  in  such  a  manner  that  they 
would  stand  aside  and  despise  him. 

Heresiarchs  have  always  been  notorious  liars.  Hence,  we 
must  not  wonder  at  learning  that  our  hero  was  also  a  good 
hand  at  the  business.  He  put  a  report  in  circulation  that 
both  the  father  and  mother  of  St.  Paul  were  Gentiles.  This 
he  did  to  raise  prejudice  against  him  among  the  Jews.  He 
further  stated  that  St.  Paul,  having  come  to  Jerusalem,  had 
stayed  there  a  long  time  before  embracing  Judaism,  and 
might  never  have  done  so,  if  he  had  not  fallen  in  love  with 
the  daughter  of  the  high  priest. 

According  to  Ebiox,  it  was  in  hope  of  receiving  her  hand 
in  marriage  that  Saul  or  St.  Paul  gave  up  idolatry.     But, 


144  ALETHAUEION. 

on  being  refused  by  the  high  priest,  he  got  angry,  and 
undertook  to  demolish  him  and  his  reh^ion.  Ebion  is  said 
to  have  died  in  a  drunken  fit. 

He  was  succeeded  in  the  heretical  primacy  by  one  Nich- 
OLAUS.  Whether  he  is  the  same  who  w^as  elected  one  of  the 
seven  deacons,  is  a  question  not  yet  decided  among  histori- 
ans.    The  probability  is  that  he  was  a  different  man. 

NiCHOLAUS  taught  nearly  all  the  errors  and  follies  of  those 
who  had  preceeded  him.  The  morals  of  his  followers  were 
most  corrupt.  Hence,  in  Revelation,  chap,  ii,  the  angel  of 
the  Church  of  Ephesus,  i.  e.,  the  bishop,  is  praised,  because, 
says  the  Holy  Ghost:  "Thou  hast  hated  the  deeds  of •  the 
Nicholaites,  which  I  also  hate." 

This  was  the  last  heresy  of  the  first  century.  The  reader 
must  not  suppose  that  those  of  which  we  have  been  speaking 
all  ended  Avith  their  founders;  such  is,  by  no  means,  the 
ease.  Many  lasted  until  late  in  the  third  century,  and  even 
to  the  beginning  of*  the  fourth.  But,  like  the  sects  of 
our  day,  they  were  continually  changing  from  one  belief 
to  another. 


CHAPTER  XXXI. 


THE   VIRGIN  MARY. 

We  now  willingly  turn  away  from  the  heretical  labyrinths 
of  the  first  century,  and  invite  the  reader  to  a  stroll,  not 
through  the  bone-yard  of  outcasts,  but  along  paths  made 
sacred  by  the  footprints  of  the  incarnate  Word,  and  of  those 
chosen  by  Him  to  co-operate  in  the  work  of  saving  mankind. 

We  intend,  in  a  word,  to  hold  up  the  mirror  to  the  first 
century  of  our  era,  and  give  a  reflection  of  the  men  and 
women  who  then  lived,  and  of  the  deeds  done,  in  days  long 
ago,  by  our  ancestors  in  the  faith. 

In  so  doing,  we  desire  to  present  a  picture,  which  may  be 


ALETHAURION.  145 

hung  up  alongside  of  that  other  already  given,  of  those 
heretics  and  fantastic  errors,  which,  like  brandy  blossoms  on 
a  boy's,  face,  have  excited  our  disgust  by  their  precocious 
depravity. 

Let  us  bejjin  with  a  notice  of  her,  "above  whom  there  is 
nothing  but  God,  and  beneath  whom  is  ^\\  else  that  is  not 
God," — the  Blessed  Virgin  Mary. 

We  shall,  however,  confine  our  remarks  to  what  is  simply 
historical,  in  regard  to  her  earthly  pilgrimage,  and  refer  the 
reader,  for  further  edification,  to  iier  "Glories"  written  \)y 
that  latest  of  the  doctors  of  the  Church — St.  Alphoxsus 
LiGUORi.  We  may  observe  in  passing,  however,  that  in  the 
work  alluded  to  there  are  many  things  which  the  infidel  and 
the  scoffer  wrest  to  their  own  perdition,  as  they  do  the  best 
gifts  of  even  the  Creator. 

The  Blessed  Virgin  was  of  the  tribe  of  Juda,  lineally 
descended  from  David,  King  of  Israel,  as  we  are  taught  by 
Matthew  and  Luke,  in  their  respective  gospels. 

The  writer  has  read,  somewhere,  a  sermon  in  her  praise, 
in  which  considerable  ado  was  made  over  the  fact  that  she 
was  of  royal  stock,  insinuating  thereby  that  it  was  honor- 
able to  the  Saviour  to  have  been  the  descendant  of  an 
earthly  king. 

Such  a  style  of  speaking  or  writing  does  but  little  good, 
and  the  attempt  to  make  our  Saviour  eminently  respectabUy 
by  reason  of  his  earthly  lineage,  betokens  the  court  lackey 
rather  than  the  Apostle. 

From  what  we  read  in  the  scriptures,  it  does  not  appear 
that  either  St.  Joseph  or  the  Blessed  Virgin  were  held  in  any 
special  esteem  among  their  neighbors,  because  of  their 
descent  from  King  David.  There  were,  no  doubt,  many 
others  living  in  their  day,  w^ho  could  have  made  good  their 
claims  to  such  an  honor,  did  they  esteem  it  worth  contend- 
ing for.  The  veneration  justly  due  the  Blessed  Virgin,  is 
(founded  on  a  far  higher  title. 


146  ALETHAURION. 

Men  are  great  only  so  far  as  they  are  chosen  by  God  for 
the  accomplishment  of  exalted  purposes.  She  was  chosen 
for  the  highest  of  which  a  creature  is  capable. 

A  patent  of  nobility,  thus  gained,  out-weighs  and  dims  all 
others.  From  the  moment  the  angel  had  said  to  her,  **  Be- 
hold thou  shalt  conceive,"  the  glory  borrowed  of  King  David 
was  lost  in  superior'  effulgence,  reflected  from  the  face  of 
the  Most  High. 

The  parents  of  the  Blessed  Virgin  were  Joachim  and  Anna, 
whose  names  signify,  respectively,  "The  Preparation,"  and 
'*The  Grace  of  the  Lord."  Of  their  history  we  know  but 
little  that  rests  on  a  solid  basis.  So  excellent  an  opportu- 
nity, however,  of  giving  play  to  the  imagination  could  not 
have  escaped  the  keen  vision  of  the  versatile  and  romantic 
Greek.  Hence  the  existence  of  the  hook,  ^^  De  ortu  Vir- 
giniSf''  in  which  miracles  and  other  things  extraordinary 
abound,  and  in  which  there  is  contained  a  vast  amount  of 
information,  that  might  be  valuable  if  true,  or  at  least  in- 
teresting, if  probable. 

St.  John,  in  chap,  xix  of  his  gospel,  speaks  of  a  !Mary  of 
Cleophas,  the  sister  of  the  Virgin.  With  this  exception,  we 
have  no  evidence  going  to  show  that  the  mother  of  our  Lord 
had,  according  to  the  flesh,  any  other  sister  or  brother. 

It  is  uncertain  how  long  she  lived  on  this  earth  ;  neither 
do  we  know  the  place  of  her  death.  Some  say  she  accom- 
panied St.  John  to  Ephesus  ;  others  maintain  that  she  con- 
tinued to  reside  in  Jerusalem,  where,  about  twelve  years 
after  the  Saviour's  ascension,  surrounded  by  the  Apostles, 
drawn  from  distant  lands  miraculously  together  by  her  bed- 
side, she  surrendered  her  pure  soul  into  the  hands  of  God. 
Her  body  was  laid  in  a  tomb  in  Gethsemane,  where  it  rested 
for  three  days ;  but  before  it  had  seen  corruption,  it  was 
reunited  with  her  soul,  and  both  were  gloriously  assumed 
into  heaven,  accompanied  by  the  choirs  of  blessed  spirits, 
who  sang  her  praises,  until,  kneeling  at  the  foot  of  the 


ALETHAURION.  147 

throne,  she  was  crowned  queen  of  angels  and  of  men,  with 
the  brightest  diadem  that  even  heaven  could  afford. 

Respect  for  the  Virgin  Mother  of  the  Saviour  is  one  of 
those  marks  by  which  we  may  easily  distinguish  the  true 
believer  from  heretics. 

The  persistency  of  the  latter  in  trying  to  depreciate  the 
Virgin  has  often  elicited  our  surprise,  not  to  say  enkindled 
our  wrath.  Though  no  admirers  of  what  is  called  muscular 
Christianity,  we  may  smile,  at  least,  at  the  burning  zeal  of 
that  Hibernian,  who,  during  Know-Nothing  times  in  Cin- 
cinnati, held  a  man  by  the  seat  of  his  pantaloons,  from  a 
third  story  window,  until  he  had  duly  repented  of  his  im- 
pertinence, and  at  Mike's  suggestion,  piously  and  piteously 
invoked  the  protection  of  the  Virgin,  three  distinct  times. 

All  this  agrees  with  what  Ned  O'Hara,  the  blacksmith, 
told  the  Methodist  preacher,  years  ago,  in  Kanturk,  Ireland. 
Ned  was,  at  the  time,  shoeing  a  mule  that  had  a  stiff  neck, 
but  was  limber  about  the  legs. 

"  Now,  Mr.  O'Hara,"  said  the  sivaddler,  '*  I  can  prove  to 
you  by  a  half  dozen  texts  of  scripture  that  the  Virgin  Mary 
was  no  better  than  your  mother  or  mine."  Ned  dropt  his 
hammer  and  bounced  some  ten  feet  aw^y  from  the  mule. 
*'  While  you  are  talking,"  said  he  to  the  swaddler,  <*  let's 
keep  at  a  safe  distance  from  the  business  end  of  that  animal. 
I  have  noticed  that  when  any  one  begins  to  blaspheme  near 
him,  he  always  begins  to  kick."  When  the  preacher  had 
finished,  he  waited  for  Vulcan's  reply.  **  Well,"  said  Ned, 
as  he  picked  up  his  hammer,  '*you  may  have  proved,  to 
your  own  satisfaction,  that  the  Virgin  is  no  better  than  your 
mother ;  yet,  of  one  thing  I  am  very  certain  ;  there  is  a  vast 
difference  between  their  children — between  her  son  and  your 
mother's." 

Ned  struck  the  nail  on  the  head  that  time,  and  clinched  it 
by  recommending  the  preacher  never  to  set  foot  in  his  shop 
again,  while  that  mule  was  around.     <'He  has,"  said  Ned, 


148  ALETHAURION. 

*«a  strange  habit  of  shaking  the  dust  of  his  heels  off  against 
bhisphemers." 

It  has  often  been  a  puzzle  to  us  why  heretics  hate  the 
blessed  Virgin.  They  admit  the  Saviour's  divine  mission, 
and  place  all  reliance  on  His  merits,  as  we  do,  yet,  they  can- 
not endure  His  mother  I 

After  much  reflection  on  this  subject,  we  have  come  to 
the  settled  conclusion  that  the  old  serpent,  which  is  the 
devil  and  Satan,  is  at  the  bottom  of  it  all.  This  view  of 
the  case  will  appear  reasonable  after  considering  what 
we  read  in  Genesis  iii,  15.  Jehovah,  addressing  the  ser- 
pent, says : 

"I  will  place  enmities  between  thee  and  the  woman,  between  thy  seed 
and  her  seed ;  she  shall  crush  thy  head,  and  thou  shalt  lie  in  wait  for 
her  heel." 

This  is  evidently  a  prophecy.  The  ^^woman''  here 
spoken  of  can  be  no  other  than  the  Blessed  Virgin.  Eve 
certainly  is  not  meant,  for  she  was  crushed  by  the  serpent. 
It  is  stated  that  there  shall  be  enmity  between  the  woman 
and  the  serpent ;  that  the  serpent  shall  lie  in  wait  for  her 
heel,  etc.  Now,  as  the  power  of  the  Devil  does  not,  and 
never  did,  extend  to  the  person  of  the  Blessed  Virgin,  hence 
he  tries,  by  his  agents,  the  heretics  and  unbelievers,  to 
diminish  her  earthly  glory.  This  appears  to  us  the  only 
true  solution  of  that  blind  hatred  which  heretics  manifest 
towards  the  ever  blessed  and  venerable  mother  of  our 
Saviour. 

Our  next  will  be  about  St.  Peter. 


CHAPTER  XXXII. 


SIMON   PETER. 


Almost  nineteen  hundred  years  have  now  been  unwrapt 
from  the  spool  of  time  since  there  lived  in  a  small  house 
on  the  shore  of   the  sea  of   Gallilee,  a  veteran  fisherman, 


ALETHAURION.  149 

Jonah.  He  is  not  identical,  however,  with  that  other,  who 
had  the  misunderstanding  with  the  whale.  The  Jonah  of 
whom  we  speak,  was  a  fisherman,  but  not  a  whaler. 

He  was  a  Jew  of  strict  observance,  and  the  grunting  of 
swine  was  as  odious  to  his  ears  as  the  aroma  of  Cincinnati 
ham  is  agreeable  to  the  olfactories  of  the  modern  degenerate 
sons  of  Abraham. 

Though,  on  account  of  poverty,  he  was  not  a  burning 
and  shining  light  in  the  synagogue  of  his  native  town,  yet 
he  deserved,  and  retained  until  death,  the  esteem  of  his 
countrymen.  Jonah  was  an  unsophisticated  Jew ;  a  man 
without  guile,  who  readily  overlooked  the  short-comings  of 
those  who  represented  Judaism  in  his  day,  and  prayerfully 
awaited  the  coming  of  the  Messiah,  who  would  make  straight 
the  crooked  paths  of  the  Lord. 

It  was  not  granted  him  to  see  in  the  flesh,  the  Desired  of 
all  nations;  for  he  was  gathered  to  his  fathers  before  the 
fame  of  Jesus  had  passed  beyond  the  confines  of  Nazareth. 

Jonah  left  behind  him  two  sons,  sole  heirs  to  his  fishing 
bark  and  nets,  us  well  as  to  his  many  virtues.  The  first 
received  the  name  of  Andrew,  and  the  other  was  called 
Simon. 

After  having  deposited,  along  with  many  tears,  the  re- 
mains of  their  aged  father  in  the  tomb,  they  followed  the 
profession  to  which  they  had  been  raised — that  of  fisher- 
men. 

At  this  laborious,  and  sometimes  dangerous  occupation, 
they  spent  several  years  of  their  early  youth  and  manhood. 
Tliough  obliged,  by  their  calling,  to  often  steer  many 
leagues  from  home,  yet  on  no  Sabbath  was  either  found  absent 
from  the  synagogue  ;  for  propitious  winds  or  good  muscle 
brought  them  in  sight  of  their  native  Bethsaida  invariably 
on  the  day  previous. 

One  might  suppose  that  such  simple  piety  and  fidelity  to 
the  call  of  duty  would  have  gained  them  the  esteem,  even 
the    admiration   of    the   Pharisee   who  read  the   law   and 


150  ALETHAURION. 

conducted  the  public  worship  of  Sabbath  days  in  the  syna- 
gogue. 

It  was  just  the  reverse.  The  two  sons  of  Jonah  were 
not  favorites  with  the  proud  and  ostentatious  Rabbi.  An 
incautious  expression  of  Simon's  had  greatly  tended  to 
widen  the  breach. 

When  asked  one  day,  why  he  did  not,  like  others,  go 
frequently  to  pay  his  respects  and  offer  his  homage  to  their 
good  and  holy  Rabbi,  he  replied  :  **  The  God  of  our  father 
is  better  honored  by  pure  love  of  heart,  and  by  righteous 
works,  than  by  that  feigned  zeal  for  the  law  which  idolizes 
those  who  have  seated  themselves  on  the  chair  of  Moses." 

This  saying  was  reported  to  the  Pharisee,  who  construed 
it,  at  once,  into  an  impertinent  attack  upon  his  own  dignity. 
The  others  felt  it  to  be  a  most  withering  rebuke  of  their  own 
subserviency  and  smallness.  Yet  it  did  not  keep  them  from 
vicing  with  one  another  in  offering  the  Rabbi  incense,  to 
gain  their  personal  ends. 

Our  good  Rabbi  went  off  into  a  towering  rage,  at  the 
thought  that  an  ignorant  fisherman  should  have  presumed  to 
find  fault ;  should  have  even  gone  so  far  as  to  express  an 
opinion  about  what  was  pleasing  in  the  sight  of  the  Lord. 
He  was  somewhat  calmed  down  by  an  expression  of  his  first 
scribe,  who  said  that  the  **  contamination  arising  from  con- 
tact with  Gentilism  would  soon  destroy  the  hedge  around  the 
law,  and  all  legitimate  authority  would  be  overwhelmed  by 
a  deluge  of  Gentile  liberalism,  unless  strong  measures  were 
taken,  and  opposition  put  down.''  **  My  opinion,"  said 
another  scribe,  older  and  of  a  more  serious  turn,  **  is,  that 
we  can  best  sustain  our  authority  by  first  beginning  to  re- 
form our  own  lives,  and — "  **  Stop,  at  once,  and  leave  my 
presence  forthwith,"  said  the  irate  Rabbi ;  **I  see  thou  art 
also  tainted." 

After  these  things  Simon  held  his  peace,  though  inter- 
nally he  wished  for  authority  to  say  to  that  pompous  Phar- 
isee, *' Now,  why  tempt  you   God  to  put   a  yoke  on   our 


ALETHAURION.  151 

necks  which  neither  our  fathers  nor  we  were  able  to  bear? 
Why  seek  to  put  yourself  in  the  place  (jOD  alone  should 
hold  in  man's  heart?     Why  seek  to  be  idolized?  " 

Being,  however,  a  truly  conscientious  man,  he  doubted 
whether  he  would  be  justified  in  showing  any  disapproval  of 
the  acts  of  those  who  stood  above  him  for  fear  that  he  misrht 
lessen  their  authority  and  power  of  doing  good  among  the 
people. 

He  referred  the  whole  matter  to  God,  satisfied  that  He 
would  in  His  own  good  time,  provide  a  remedy  for  the  evils 
that  appeared  almost  incurable. 

Not  many  years  after  his  doubts  were  dissipated,  when  he 
had  heard  from  the  lips  of  Him  who  spoke,  as  did  man 
never  before  nor  since,  the  most  scathing  denunciations 
against  those  same  Pharisees.  It  was  with  a  satisfaction, 
mingled  with  pity,  that  he  saw  their  hypocrisy  laid  bare — 
that  he  heard  them  called  "  blind  and  leaders  of  the  blind  ; 
a  generation  of  vipers  and  whited  sepulchres." 

Some  time  after  these  events,  news  came  to  Bethsaida, 
and  the  surrounding  country,  that  agreat  Prophet  had  arisen 
in  Israel,  and  that  God  had  visited  His  people.  This  extra- 
ordinary man  was  called  John.  Thousands  flocked  from  all 
quarters  to  hear  his  preaching ;  and  being  moved  to  repent- 
ance, were  baptized  by  him  in  the  Jordan. 

As  the  scepter  had  passed  from  the  hands  of  Juda,  and 
the  seventy  weeks  of  the  prophet  Daniel  were  nearly  or 
quite  at  an  end,  many  thought  this  extraordinary  man  might 
possibly  be  the  Messiah.  The  innocence  of  his  life  coupled 
with  his  great  zeal  and  eloquence,  procured  him  many  dis- 
ciples. Among  the  latter  was  Andrew,  son  of  Jonah. 
Simon,  having  married  a  wife,  remained  at  Bethsaida.  On 
the  return  oi  his  brother  from  the  banks  of  the  Jordan,  he 
was  noticeably  affected  by  the  recital  of  all  that  Andrew 
had  seen  and  heard.  Simon  felt  persuaded  that  the  Messiah 
had  come,  and  that  he  was  no  other  than  this  wonderful 


152  ALETHAURIOX. 

man.  *'No,"  said  Andrew — *'He  said  'I  am  not  the  Mes- 
siah— There  will  tome  a  man  after  me,  the  latchet  of  whose 
shoes  I  am  not  worthy  to  loose;  him  you  shall  hear." 
John  1,  27. 

From  this  time  forward,  these  two  good  men  anxiously 
awaited  the  developement  of  events. 

But  one  thing  forced  itself  upon  their  observation,  viz  : 
That  JoHN^sought  no  intimacy  with  the  Scribes  or  Phar- 
isees ;  on  the  contrary,  he  reproved  their  vices,  and  bade 
them  beware  of  the  wrath  to  come. 

Thus  the  time  passed  on,  until  one  day,  as  they  were 
preparing  to  cast  their  nets  into  the  sea,  they  saw  a  man  on 
the  shore,  not  far  off  from  where  they  stood.  He  appeared 
the  very  perfection  of  humanity  in  form  and  feature, 
dressed  in  a  crimson  toga  that  swept  the  ground  ;  his  rich 
auburn  locks  descended  in  rinirlets  far  down  his  azure  man- 
tie.  His  beard  parted  naturally  and  gracefully  at  the  point 
of  his  chin.  The  expression  of  his  face  was  extremely 
mild;  some  might  call  it  sad  and  thoughtful.  But  a  fire 
darted  from  his  eyes,  that  inspired  the  beholder  with  un- 
dying love  and  veneration,  or  else  moi'tal  dread  and  hate. 
This  man  was  Jesus  of  Nazareth,  the  only  begotten  Son 
of  God. 

He  had  come  to  call  that  poor  unknown  fisherman  to  fill 
an  ojffice  that  is  the  most  exalted  on  earth — to  be  the  founder 
of  a  dynasty  that  is  to  last  forever. 

Our  next  will  be  about  the  public  life  of  St.  Petek. 


CHAPTER  XXXHI. 


the  public  life  of  ST.  PETER. 


Having,  in  the  last  chapter,  spoken  of  the  hidden  life  of 
Simon  Peter,  we  think  it  opportune,  in  the  present,  to  give 
a  synopsis  of  his  public  career. 


ALETIIAURION.  153 

The  writer  will  not  attempt  to  portray,  in  his  own  words, 
that' portion  of  the  life  of  the  PiHnce  of  the  Ajyostles,  which 
was  spent  in  company  with  the  Saviour  of  mankind. 

The  narration  of  all  that  was  done  and  said  during  that 
eventful  period,  he  believes  it  best  to  leave  with  the  Evan- 
gelists, inspired  by  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  with  such  impious 
Frenchmen  as  Ernest  Rexan. 

All  that  was  necessary  of  the  life  of  Christ  arfd  His  deal- 
ings with  the  Apostles  was  written  once  by  the  Evangelists, 
Matthew,  Mark,  Luke  and  John,  and  we  see  no  necessity 
of  attempting  to  improve  on  what  the  Holy  Ghost  inspired 
them  to  say. 

An  ancient  philosopher  was  once  asked  to  give  a  definition 
of  God.  He  requested  one  day  to  prepare  hn  answer. 
When  the  day  was  up,  he  wanted  a  week.  When  the  week 
had  passed,  he  declared  that  a  year  would  scarcely  suffice 
to  formulate  a  proper  reply. 

The  philosopher  was  no  ordinary  man  ;  his  hesitation 
proved  it — though  a  super.cilious  editor  of  one  of  our  daily 
newspapers  would  have  got  through  the  work  with  one 
scratch  of  his  pencil. 

Those  who  attempt  to  write  the  life  of  Christ  ought  to 
learn  a  lesson  from  the  philosopher. 

Written  by  an  uninspired  man,  the  life  of  the  Saviour  is 
either  i7npious  or  Jlat .  Even  men  of  ability  misunderstand 
altogether,  very  frequently,  the  character  of  those  they  at- 
tempt to  describe.  How  much  greater  will  the  failure  not 
be,  when  pygmies  attempt  to  measure  the  '* uncreated  wis- 
dom of  the  Father." 

Hence,  we  forbear  going  farther  back  into  the  public  life 
of  Peter,  than  to  the  period  of  the  Saviour's  ascension  into 
heaven. 

This,  however,  shall  not  prevent  us  from  taking  up,  in 
future  articles,  some  plain  texts  of  scripture  and.  showing 
therefrom  that  Christ  gave  to  him  an  authority  and  jurisdic- 
tion over  His  entire  church. 


154  ALETHAURION. 

After  the  bloody  tragedy  on  Mount  Calvary,  and  the  glori- 
ous resurrection  of  our  Lord  from  the  tomb,  the  gospel  in- 
forms us  that  he  appeared  to  His  Apostles  and  Disciples,  at 
various  times,  for  forty  days.  During  that  period  he  gave 
them  instructions  concerning  all  they  should  do  and  say, 
after  He  had  ascended  to  the  Father. 

When  the  mystic  days  had  passed.  He  gathered  them  to- 
gether, and  in  their  company,  proceeded  to  the  top  of 
Mount  Olivet,  not  far  outside  the  city  of  Jerusalem.  There, 
with  His  face  turned  toward  the  setting  sun,  He  bade  them 
adieu 

Then,  raising  His  eyes  and  his  arms  at  the  same  time  to 
heaven,  he  was  wafted  by  an  unseen  force  into  the  domin- 
ion of  the  stars. 

The  Apostles  and  Disciples  remained,  as  it  were,  in  a 
dream  for  some  time.  Almost  the  whole  truth  had  flashed 
upon  their  minds.  That  mysterious  being,  with  whom  they 
had  walked  and  conversed  for  upwards  of  three  years,  had 
vanished  from  their  o^aze — had  ^eft  them  to  the  ordinarv^ 
course  of  providence. 

The  Italian  poet,  Daxte,  many  centuries  after,  expressed 

well  what  we  may  presume  to  have  been  their  feelings  on  the 

occasion : 

Nessun  Maggior  dolore 

Che  ricordarsi  del  tempo  felice 
Nella  Miseria . 

While  they  were  thus  overwhelmed  with  sadness,  tw^o- 
angels  stood  beside  them  and  said:  "Ye  men  of  Galilee, 
why  stand  you  looking  up  into  heaven?  This  Jesus  who  is 
taken  up  from  you  into  heaven,  so  shall  He  come,  as  you 
have  seen  Him  going  up  to  heaven."     Acts  1,  ii. 

They  were  thus  awakened  from  their  dream,  and  slowly 
and  sadly  descended  from  the  mount,  to  take  up  their  abode 
in  an  upper  chamber  of  a  house  in  the  city. 

Simon  Peter  was  now  looked  upon  by  all  as  foremost 
man  of  the  band.     Mysterious  words,  spoken  months  be- 


ALETHAUKION.  155 

fore   by  Him  who  had  just  left  them,  now  came  back  to 

their  minds.     They  remembered  that  it  had  been  said,  on 

one  occasion,  to  Simon  : 

•'Thou  art  Peter,  and  upon  this  rock  I  will  build  my  Church  and  the 
gates  of  hell  shall  not  prevail  against  it.  And  I  will  give  to  thee  the 
keys  of  the  kingdom  of  heaven,  and  whatsoever  thou  shalt  loose  on  earth 
shall  be  loosed  also  in  heaven,  and  whatsoever  thou  shalt  bind  on  earth 
shallbe  bound  also  in  heaven."     Matt.  xvi. 

Knowing  these  things,  all  lent  him  a  willing  ear. 

Hence,  when  he  spoke  of  the  necessity  of  electing 
anotlier,  in  the  place  of  Judas,  all  listened,  and  proceeded 
to  the  work,  by  which  Mathias  was  numbered  an  Apostle, 
with  the  eleven  who  had  remained  faithful. 

Those  were  days  of  doubt  and  perplexity.  But,  after 
the  Holy  Ghost  had  descended  upon  them,  on  the  day  of 
Pentecost,  doubt  gave  way  to  certainty,  and  prayerful  in- 
activity, to  much  energy  in  the  Lord. 

There  were  many  at  that  time,  in  Jerusalem,  Jews,  de- 
vout men  of  every  nation  under  heaven,  and  though  using 
different  tongues,  yet  each  and  every  one  of  them  under- 
stood the  Apostles,  who  spoke  only  in  the  Syro-Chaldaic 
language.  Some  of  the  most  hardened,  on  perceiving  this 
wonderful  fact,  were  loath  to  believe  their  own  ears,  and 
began  to  say  that  the  Apostles  were  drunk  with  new  wine. 
But  Peter,  with  that  courage  and  lofty  bearing,  for  which 
we  shall  henceforth  see  him  distinguished,  refuted  the  silly 
assertion  by  reminding  those  who  had  made  it  that  it  was 
too  soon  in  the  day. 

He  preached  to  the  multitude  on  the  divinity  of  Jesus 
of  Nazareth.     Nor  did  he  preach  in  vain. 

That  same  day  no  fewer  than  three  thousand  persons 
were  converted  to  the  faith  and  baptized.  Let  the  Baptists 
and  Campbellites,  who  believe  in  ducking ^  arise  and  explain 
how  so  many  persons  could  have  been  immersed  in  so  short 
a  time. 

Our  next  will  be  a  continuation. 


156  ALETHAURION. 


CHAPTER  XXXIV, 


THE  PUBLIC  LIFE  OF  ST.  PETER. 

There  was  in  the  temple  at  Jerusalem,  a  certain  gate, 
which,  by  reason  of  its  architectural  grandeur  and  elaborate 
finish  was  called,  by  excellence,  The  Beautiful. 

That  portion  of  the  hill  of  Zion  which  lay  in  front  of  it 
had  become,  at  the  time  we  speak  of,  the  favorite  resort 
of  all  those  who  felt  piously  inclined,  or  had  nothing  else 
to  do. 

Strangers  visiting  the  holy  places,  would  no  more  have 
thought  of  returning  home  before  having  seen  that  beautiful 
srate,  than  a  modern  Bels^ian  would  dream  of  settinir  out 
from  Lourdes  until  he  had  tasted  of  the  holy  waters,  and 
filled  a  bottle  or  two,  to  comfort  and  protect  him  on  the 
way  back 

Along  with  troops  of  native  and  foreign  idlers,  there  were 
also  to  be  found,  almost  at  any  hour  of  the  day,  not  a  few 
beggars  near  the  beautiful  gate.  Some  of  these  were  blind 
of  an  eye,  others  in  both,  many  were  paralytic,  and  several 
club-footed  from  infancy. 

On  great  feast  days  these  wretched  creatures  reaped  an 
abundant  harvest.  Mostly  all  who  went  into  the  temple, 
first  sought  the  favor  of  God  by  contributing  a  little  to  alle- 
viate the  miseries  of  His  suffering  children. 

The  Scribes,  and  more  especially  the  Pharisees,  were 
liberal  contributors  on  such  occasions,  and  the  larojer  the 
gathering  the  more  did  they  disburse. 

There  was  this  difference,  however,  between  their  way  of 
giving  and  that  of  others.  A  Pharisee  or  Scribe  never 
contributed  anything  as  he  passed  into  the  temple.  He  was 
always  in  a  hurry.  His  anxiety  to  gci  into  the  presence  of 
the  Lord  was  such  that  he  could  not  think  of    stopping  on 


ALETHAURION.  157 

the  way  to  look  at  beggars.  But,  on  coming  out,  the  most 
approved  system  was  to  pass  some  distance  beyond,  as  if 
wrapt  in  profound  meditation,  and  then  sling  back  over  the 
left  shoulder  what  each  wished  to  give.  The  distance  ^as 
also  reguhited  by  custom.     ^ 

A  common  Scribe  of  the  lowest  grade,  was  not  allowed 
to  pass  more  than  one  rod  beyond  the  object  of  his  pity ; 
whereas  a  Pharisee,  by  reason  of  superior  dignity,  could 
cover  five  rods  and  three  quarters. 

There  was,  as  a  matter  of  course,  a  scramble  among  the 
idlers  for  the  money  thus  thrown.  The  pushing  and  kick- 
ing that  resulted,  and  the  fights  that  sometimes  arose,  are 
said  to  have  been  highly  refreshing  to  the  vanity  of  the 
Pharisees.  They  did  not  care  whether  the  right  one  got  the 
money  or  the  wrong  one  took  possession  of  it.  They  wished 
the  assembly  to  know  that  they  were  charitable  to  the  poor^ 
and  that  sufficed. 

The  writer  of  this  has  heard  some  one  say  that  the  de- 
scendants of  the  Pharisees  are  numerous,  even  in  our  own 
day  and  generation  !  It  may  be  so.  And  it  may  further 
account  for  facts  that  we  sometimes  read  of  in  the  newspa- 
pers. We  hear  of  men  giving  large  sums  to  found  or  en- 
dow charitable  or  educational  institutions,  and  then  taking 
no  further  care  or  thought  upon  themselves  of  how  mat- 
ters are  managed.  They  throw  their  money  back  over 
the  left  shoulder,  and  let  the  strongest  and  most  rapacious 
get  it. 

These  facts  and  observations  bring  us  to  a  circumstance 
in  the  life  of  the  Prince  of  the  Apostles,  which  we  now 
hasten  to  lay  before  the  reader.  Not  long  after  the  events, 
related  in  the  last  chapter,  Peter  and  John  went  up  to  the 
temple  to  pray.  It  was  three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  as 
they  entered  by  the  Beautiful  Gate^  where  sat  a  man  who 
had  been  lame  from  his  birth. 

He  had  not  a  regular  stall  inside  the  porch,  because  his 
friends  were  too  poor  to  get   him  one.     The   reader  must 


158  ALETHAURION. 

know  that  a  beggar's  stall,  in  a  good  location  near  the  tem- 
ple, was  equivalent  to  a  small  fortune.  This  wretched  man, 
who  had  a  seat  outside  the  porch,  was  scarcely  accounted 
worthy  to  sit  even  that  close  to  the  aristocrats  within  ;  for 
there  are  more  grades  of  distii^ction  among  beggars  than 
among  kings. 

Peter  looked  at  him,  and  having  observed  that  he  did  not 
belong  to  that  sturdy  class  who  begin  to  curse  after  they 
are  refused,  said,  "look  upon  us."  The  man  was  surprised 
that  any  one  should  have  spoken  kindly  to  him  or  taken  an 
interest  in  his  welfare.  He  gazed  earnestly  into  their  faces, 
**  hoping  he  should  receive  something  from  them."  Then 
Peter  said  to  him,  "  I  have  neither  gold  nor  silver  to  bestow, 
but  I  will  give  you  what  I  have." 

By  this  time  the  painful  expression  on  the  man's  face  had 
changed.  The  memory  of  miirhty  works,  said  to  have  been 
done  by  Jesus  of  Nazareth,  had  flashed  across  his  mind. 
Hence,  when  Peter  held  out  his  hand  and  said  :  "In  the 
name  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Nazareth,  arise  and  walk  ;"  his 
faith  received  the  finishing  touch,  and  he  leaped  to  his 
feet. 

When  those  who  stood  near  saw  this  wonderful  miracle 
there  w^as  much  confusion,  and  rushing  to  and  fro.  Many 
rejoiced.  But  there  were  some  of  the  Sadduces  present 
who  had  seen  Peter  and  John  along  with  the  Saviour. 
These  were  not  pleased.  "  That  Gallilean  is  not  yet  dead  !" 
said  Rabbi  Kinchi.  "  I  am  afraid,"  said  Rabbi  Ben-Ezra, 
"that  this  will  become  known  to  every  one  in  Jerusalem." 
"  The  case  is  too  plain,  and  we  can't  deny  it,"  said  the 
Scribe  Habakuk — "  we  must  use  our  authority  to  put  the 
actors  in  this  matter  down  at  once — that  unfortunate  crip- 
ple has  been  the  cause  of  it  all ;  he  too  must  be  put  out  of 
the  way." 

"I  do  not  esteem  him  as  worthy  of  a  moment's  consider- 
ation," replied  Rabbi  Ben-Ezra.  "He  is  but  a  short 
horse,  and  it  will   not  take  long  to  curry  him.      But  there 


ALETHAURION.  159 

is  that  curly-headed  fisherman,  from  Galilee,  who,  in  these 
past  few  days  appears  to  have  changed  entirely.  He  seems 
to  have  taken  on  himself  a  degree  of  authority  that  makes 
me  nervous." 

**  We  must  find  some  means  to  set  limits  to  his  annoy- 
ance." 

*'  There  is  no  further  use,"  he  added  after  a  pause,  *'  in 
threatening  them  with  expulsion  from  the  synagogue.  They 
don't  appear  to  regard  our  menaces.  We  must  become 
yet  more  friendly  with  the  governor,  and  through  him,  we 
may  get  the  thumb-screws  fairly  on  them."  '*  These  Gen- 
tiles, after  all,"  said  the  good  Eabbi,  *'are  great  fellows. 
If  we  keep  at  the  right  side  of  them,  we  can  get  them  to 
do  almost  any  thing  we  want  done." 

'*I  doubt,"  said  Rabbi  Kinchi,  *« whether  the  governor 
himself  can  frighten  them.  That  deceiver,  whom  we  lately 
put  out  of  the  way,  appears  to  have  succeeded  to  a  miracle 
in  infusing  his  own  ungovernable  spirit  into  all  he  came  in 
contact  with.  Moreover  these  fanatical  men  are  dangerous 
on  another  account.  Did  they  simply  refuse  to  obey  us 
and  go  quietly  to  perdition,  it  would  not  matter — the 
Gentiles  do  not  heed  us,  and  we  get  along  without  them. 
But  these  madmen  not  only  do  not  listen  to  our  instruc- 
tions, they  even  go  so  far  as  to  assume  authority  over 
ourselves,  and  our  good,  simple,  obedient  people. 

"  The  worst  feature  of  all,"  said  Rabbi  Kixchi,  '*  is  that 
their  lives  seem  to  be  entirely  blameless,  yet  they  resist 
our  authority  with  the  precision  of  destiny,  and  the  people 
.appear  inclined  to  go  with  them.  Before  taking  ex- 
treme measures,  we  must  threaten  them.  Legal  proceed- 
ings have  a  terror  for  men  of  rustic  mold  which  the  refined 
can  scarcely  appreciate.  Yet,  with  all  this  something  tells 
me  we  are  undone.  It  is  true,  we  have  concentrated  all 
power  in  our  own  hands,  but  the  people,  and  even  the  in- 
ferior officers,  appear  more  and  more  ready,  every  day,  for 
revolution.     They  have  no  confidence  in  us." 


160  ALETHAURION . 

While  the  foregoing  conversation  was  passing  between 
those  limbs  of  Beelzebub,  a  great  crowd  had  followed  the 
two  Apostles  to  that  part  of  the  temple  called  Solomon's 
porch. 

There  Peter  again  addressed  the  multitude,  and  con- 
verted five  thousand.  No  doubt  they  were  also  baptized, 
then  and  there,  as  the  three  thousand  had  been,  on  the 
previous  day.  But  they  were  not  permitted  to  continue 
the  good  work  unmolested.  Our  three  zealous  friends  had 
matured  their  plans,  and  the  consequence  was  the  arrest  of 
the  Apostles. 

The  man  who  had  been  lame  got  orders  to  scamper  off 
home,  and  not  come  back  until  called  for. 

The  result  of  the  trial,  and  also  the  subsequent  course  of 
St.  Peter,  we  will  see  in  a  future  chapter. 


CHAPTER  XXXV, 


THE    TRIAL. 

In  the  last  chapter  we  related  how  Peter  and  John  cured 
the  cripple  of  forty  years'  standing,  whom  they  had  found  at 
the  gate  of  the  temple,  called  The  Beautiful. 

The  people  who  saw  this  were  greatly  moved  thereby  ;  and 
the  idea  that  they  who  could  work  such  miracles  were  really 
and  truly  ministers  of  God,  began  rapidly  forming  in  the 
minds  of  all.  There  is  no  argument  against  a  miracle.  It  is 
a  clean,  and  should  be  a  convincing  proof,  that  he  who 
works  it  is  an  authorized  agent  of  the  Divinity. 

The  Scribes,  Pharisees  and  other  officers  of  the  temple, 
knew  this.  Hence,  instead  of  attempting  to  refute  the 
Apostles,  they  wanted  to  cloak  the  matter  up,  and  frighten 
Peter  and  John  by  having  them  arrested.  The  case  is 
similar  to  that  which  happened  years  ago,  in  this  same  land 
in  which  we  live.     While  the  Blue  laws  were  in  force  in  the 


ALETHAUEION.  161 

States  of  Connecticut  and  Massachusetts,  priests  were  for- 
bidden, under  pain  of  death,  to  teach  or  publicly  exercise 
their  ministry.  The  Puritans,  a  name  synonymous  with  all 
that  is  small  and  pusillanimous  in  human  nature,  thus  ac- 
knowledged the  weakness  of  their  cause,  wiaich  could  not 
bear  the  light  of  day  nor  ventilation  at  the  hands  of  those 
harbingers  of  truth.  The  disposition  to  persecute  is  one  of 
the  marks  of  heresy.  When  manifested  by  a  true  believer, 
it  is  a  sign  that  duty  has  been  neglected  and  vice  indulged. 

This  spirit  of  persecution,  inherent  to  religious  error,  is 
manifested,  even  at  the  present  day,  in  the  public  school 
system. 

Years  ago  it  became  apparent  to  the  more  acute  and  far 
seeing  of  the  sectarians,  that  it  would  be  useless  to  attempt 
to  compete,  either  single-handed  or  combined,  with  the 
Catholic  Church,  in  the  matter  of  education.  They  saw 
Catholic  schools  and  colleges  springing  up  over  the  land,  as 
by  the  touch  of  the  magician's  wand.  Heretical  youths  and 
maidens  were  received  on  equal  terms  with  the  children  of 
those  who  had  borne  the  burden  of  the  day  and  the  heat. 
Many  having,  under  good  training,  gained  a  knowledge  of 
the  truth,  abjured  their  errors,  and  pushed  forward  with  an 
energy  equal  to  that  of  Catholics  to  the  manor  born.  Having 
been  made  free  by  the  truth,  they  looked  back  with  con- 
tempt on  the  flesh-pots,  the  onions  and  the  garlic  of  Pro- 
testantism. 

Such  good  and  holy  results  could  not  long  have  escaped 
the  observation  of  the  ministers  of  false  religions ;  and 
knowing  that  in  a  fair  fight  on  the  educational  question, 
they  stood  little  chance  against  the  trained  battalions  of 
the  Church,  they  sought,  as  heretics  always  do,  an  alliance 
with  the  State.  Thus  has  the  system  of  public  schools  been 
put  as  a  yoke  on  the  necks  of  the  people.  It  was  intended 
to  fetter  the  action  of  the  Church  in  the  matter  of  sound 
Christian  education.  It  was  a  new  attempt  to  arrest  Peter 
and  John  ;  to  keep  them  from  preaching  the  truth.     The 


I 


162  ALETHAURION. 

system  is  becoming,  however,  daily  more  and  more  op- 
pressive, even  in  the  estimation  of  Protestants ;  nor  can 
incense,  much  longer,  counteract  its  offensive  odor. 

But  let  us  return  to  our  Apostles.  They  were  arrested 
late  in  the  afternoon,  and  spent  the  night  in  prison,  which 
for  a  wonder,  inclosed  no  others  but  themselves. 

The  Scribes  and  Pharisees  were,  as  a  rule,  great  patrons 
of  the  jail.  The  poorer  and  more  defenceless  of  the  inhab- 
itants knew  well  that  any  little  act  of  disrespect  to  a  Rabbi 
would  entitle  them  to  free  lodgings  in  quarters,  where,  for 
the  time,  they  would  be  safe  from  mad  dogs.  That  Pres- 
byterian minister,  who  hung  his  cat  for  killing  a  rat  on 
the  Sabbath  day,  was  not  near  so  fervid  as  the  Pharisees. 
The  Lord  was  to  be  honored  in  and  through  them,  and 
insult  to  them  was  the  same  as  impiety  towards  God. 

Peter  and  John,  finding  themselves  within  walls,  were 
not  disheartened.  They  even  felt  happy  that  they  had 
been  thought  worthy  to  suffer  for  Christ.  Neither  were 
they  solicitous  in  regard  to  what  the  decision  might  be. 
For  not  to  speak  of  the  fact  that  they  were  prepared  to  die, 
they  knew  that  justice  could  not  be  so  outraged  as  to  con- 
demn them  without  a  shadow  of  reason. 

Early  in  the  morning  there  was  much  activity  among  the 
Scribes  and  Pharisees.  Moses  Hadder-Scan,  surnamed 
the  mouse,  on  account  of  his  prying  and  furtive  habits,  was 
making  himself  quite  busy  hunting  up  evidence  against  the 
Apostles. 

He  went  to  the  high  priest  to  make  inquiries  about  a 
certain  Malchus,  who  was  reported  to  have  had  an  ear  am- 
putated by  a  cut  from  a  sabre  in  the  hand  of  Simon  Peter, 
not  many  weeks  previous.  **He  is  just  my  man,"  chuckled 
the  mouse  to  himself  ;  "having  lost  one  of  his  ears,  he  will 
try  to  be  avenged  by  bearing  testimony  against  them." 
Hadder-Scan,  however,  did  not  care,  in  his  heart,  whether 
the  Apostles  were  punished  or  let  go.  He  had,  with  all 
this  show  of  zeal,  quite  another  object  in  view. 


ALETHAURION.  163 

There  was  at  that  time  an  important  vacancy  in  the  city 
which  the  high  priest  had  the  right  to  fill.  Our  friend 
Hadder  thought  that,  to  go  and  look  for  Malchus  would 
form  an  excellent  pretext  to  get  better  acquainted  with  the 
high  priest,  and  thus  advance  his  suit. 

When  he  had  told  his  story,  the  high  priest  drew  his 
brows  tofi^ether,  until  the  skin  on  the  back  of  his  head  be- 
came  tight.  "My  advice  to  you,  sir,"  said  he,  **  is  to  let 
Malchus  alone  and  mind  your  own  business.  It  was  such 
other  shallow  creatures  as  you  ordered  the  arrest  of  those 
men  on  yesterday ;  now  the  case  is  worse  than  ever,  for  we 
cannot  punish  them,  and  to  let  them  off  is  to  acknowledge 
a  fault.  The  governor  himself  is  in  the  city,"  said  the  high 
priest  in  soliloquy;  *' he  looks  melancholic,  as  if  he  fore- 
boded evil.  At  present,  to  attempt  their  conviction  by  our 
own  witnesses  would  be  dans^erous." 

'*  Go,"  said  he  to  the  mouse^  "and  tell  Caiphas  and 
JoHX,  and  Alexander  with  the  others  of  the  priestly  race, 
that  at  the  third  hour  the  trial  will  begin."  Hadder-Scan 
bowed  himself  out,  backward,  and  departed.  "I  see," 
said  he  to  himself,  "that  I  made  a  mistake.  I  should  have 
waited  until  after  dinner  when  he  is  mellow  and  in  good 
humor — but  1  may  succeed  yet." 

At  the  third  hour,  the  officers,  with  Annas  and  Caiphas 
at  their  head,  were  assembled  in  the  judgment  hall.  The 
heavy  clanking  of  chains  soon  announced  that  the  prisoners 
were  also  on  hand.  They  were  told  to  be  seated,  in  the 
center  of  the  semi-circle  formed  by  their  judges.  As  there 
were  no  witnesses  to  be  examined,  and,  it  being  now  fur- 
thermore evident  that  nothing  could  be  made  out  of  the 
case,  the  High  Priest,  Annas,  for  mere  formality,  asked  by 
whose  authority  they  did  these  things. 

This  gave  Peter  an  opportunity  to  preach  about  the 
Saviour,  whom  they  had  crucified.  But  they  wondered  ex- 
ceedingly that  a  man,  whom  they  had  hitherto  regarded  as 


164  ALETHAURION. 

uncultured,  should  now  speak  so  learnedly  and  with  such 
eloquence. 

In  the  meantime  the  cripple  came  into  the  hall  of  judg- 
ment, and  this  filled  them  with  fresh  rage. 

**You  may  go,"  said  the  high  priest  to  them,  **this 
time,  but  on  the  next  occasion  we  will  not  be  so  indul- 
gent." 

**  We  make  no  promises,"  answered  Peter,  '*to  desist 
from  what  we  have  been  doing,  for  it  is  expedient  that  we 
should  obey  God  rather  than  you." 

In  our  next  we  will  speak  about  Ananias  and  Saphira, 
and  make  some  observations  on  their  conduct. 


CHAPTER  XXXVI. 


ANANIAS   AND   SAPHIR/. . 

Among  the  shining  qualities  possessed  by  the  Pharisees 
and  Scribes,  about  the  period  when  Christianity  made  its 
appearance  in  the  world  was  the  following :  They  were 
complacent,  to  even  a  painful  degree,  toward  the  rich, 
and  harsh  in  proportion  to  those  who  were  not  the  favorites 
of  fortune. 

In  recognition  of  this  flattery,  they  received  the  backing 
and  support  which  wealth  is  able  to  give,  and  to  neutralize 
the  feelings  of  meanness  which  the  consciousness  of  subser- 
viency produces  in  the  soul  of  a  man,  who  is  not  born  a  serf, 
they  assumed  lofty  and  insolent  airs  towards  the  poor. 

It  is  true,  by  far  the  greater  portion  of  their  revenues 
came  from  the  rank  and  file,  yet^  as  the  amount  contributed 
by  each  was  but  small,  no  thanks  were  expected,  and  none 
given  by  the  Pharisees. 

This  line  of  policy,  which  had  been  at  work  for  years, 
produced  a  disaffected  class.  The  members  thereof  felt 
that  they  had   no  one  to  take  an  interest  in  their  welfare. 


•^  ALETHAURION.  165 

Hence,  they  were  prepared  to  enlist  under  the  banner  of 
any  one  who  had  the  force  of  character  necessary  to  be  a 
leader. 

There  are  certain  rights,  to  the  loss  of  which  men  will 
become  reconciled  for  a  while,  the  re-acquisition  of  which 
they  will  rarely,  if  ever,  abandon  in  hope.  When  those 
whose  duty  it  is  to  lead  and  direct  popular  aspirations  act 
as  mill-dams,  the  current  will  finally  either  pass  over  them 
all  tosrether,  or  seek  some  new  channel. 

The  Saviour  was  the  beau-ideal  with  the  class  of  Jews 
most  despised  by  the  Pharisees.  His  teachings  pleased  the 
people,  and  they  recognized  in  him  what  they  had  sought 
for  in  vain  among  the  rulers  of  the  synagogue — a  leader 
worthy  of  their  respect. 

They  followed  him  in  crowds,  and  it  was  only  by  an 
aberration,  altogether  human,  seconded  by  the  cunning  of 
His  enemies,  that  they  were  goaded  on  to  call  for  his  cruci- 
fixion. 

He  upraided  the  rich  because  of  their  pride,  and  declared 
that  sooner  would  a  camel  pass  through  the  eye  of  a  needle, 
than  one  of  them  should  enter  the  kingdom  of  heaven.  The 
poor  appeared  to  have  been  his  special  favorites,  and  to 
them  he  willingly  preached  his  gospel. 

The  Apostles  also,  following  in  his  footsteps,  sought  to 
elevate  the  masses  ;  and  it  so  happened  that  the  greater 
number  of  those  who  lent  them  a  willing  ear  were  from  the 
more  humble  walks  of  life. 

There  were,  however,  many,  who  though  possessed  of 
wealth,  were  yet  clean  of  heart,  and  these,  too,  became 
associated  with  the  faithful. 

Now,  as  tyranny  and  bitterness  of  spirit  were  elements 
that  entered  largely  into  the  composition  of  the  Pharisees, 
and  as  they  exercised  an  extensive  patronage,  it  happened 
that  many,  after  having  embraced  Christianity,  lost  posi- 
tions from  which  they  had  gained  a  meager  yet  sufficient 
livelihood. 


166  ALETHAURION. 

Such  a  state  of  affairs  brought  about  the  necessity  of 
providing  for  these  indigent  members.  But  the  zeal  and 
true  Christian  charity  of  those  possessed  of  wealth  soon 
settled  the  difficulty. 

They  sold  their  lands  and  whatever  else  they  had,  and 
having  returned,  laid  the  proceeds  at  the  feet  of  the  Apos- 
tles, to  be  used  for  the  benefit  of  the  entire  community. 

Now  there  are  a  few  sects  in  this  State  that  have  no  rule 
of  faith  to  direct  their  belief  and  practice  but  the  *«  Bible, 
and  the  Bible  alone."  We  should  very  much  like  to  know 
why  these  do  not  carry  into  execution  a  custom  so  evidently 
apostolic  in  its  origin.  Why  does  not  Deacon  BuLLFRpa 
sell  his  thousand  acres  of  land  and  divide  with  Brother 
Barebones?    ^'  Aye,  there's  the  rub." 

Taking  the  New  Testament,  without  an  infallible  judge 
to  interpret  its  sense  and  meaning,  can  the  sects  show  that 
a  community  of  goods  is  not  one  of  the  essentials  of  Chris- 
tianity?    We  think  not. 

Besides  the  zeal  of  the  first  Christians,  there  was  another 
cause  that  contributed  to  the  effect  spoken  of.  There  was  a 
somewhat  vague  and  undefined  belief  in  the  minds  of  many, 
that  the  end  of  the  world  was  then  near  at  hand.  Hence 
there  may  have  bsen  a  little  of  the  human  commingled  with 
what  otherwise  mi^jht  be  res^arded  as  a  heroic  act.  Under 
the  impression  that  all  things  would  soon  be  reduced  to 
nonentity,  it  probably  was  not  more  difficult  to  resign  the 
goods  of  this  world,  than  it  would  have  been  to  a  Georgia 
planter,  towards  the  close  of  the  war,  to  have  sold  his  cot- 
ton pickers  at  half  price. 

This  idea  of  the  world's  coming  to  an  end,  has,  more  than 
once,  exercised  a  marked  influence  over  the  actions  of  men. 
It  is  related  by  some  writers  of  the  eleventh  century,  that 
towards  the  close  of  the  preceding  one,  many  gave  up  the 
active  pursuits  of  life  for  the  seclusion  of  the  monasteries. 

The  thousand  years  spoken  of  in  the  book  of  Revelation, 
were   evidently   about  to   expire,  and  a  little   eloquence, 


ALETHAURION.  167 

coupled  with  some  leaning  after  pelf,  was  siiflScient  to  con- 
vince the  imaginative  and  timorous  that  themselves  and  what 
they  possessed  would  be  safer  within  the  sacred  enclosure  of 
a  monastery. 

Even  in  our  day  there  is  not  wanting  a  race  of  croakers, 
who  speak  as  confidently  on  the  proximity  of  the  great  catas- 
trophe, as  if  specially  sent  of  God  to  announce  the  fact  to 
men.  Not  long  ago,  in  a  city  *'  Out  West,"  the  members 
of  a  sect,  known  as  the  Second-Adventists,  remained  all 
night  in  one  of  their  conventicles  to  receive  the  Saviour, 
who,  according  to  a  prophet,  powerful  in  word  and  deed 
among  them,  was  to  make  his  second  appearance  that  very 
night,  at  exactly  nineteen  minutes  past  two  a.  m.  It  was  in 
the  month  of  August ;  and  as  there  were  no  earthquakes  nor 
roarings  of  the  sea  nor  flashes  of  lightning,  instead  of  with- 
ering away  through  fear  and  expectation,  the  party  went 
into  a  nap,  each  on  his  own  responsibility.  Nor  did  they 
awake  until  morning  put  her  rosy  fingers  through  the  chinks 
in  the  walls  of  the  building  wherein  they  slept. 

That  sow  that  meant  to  get  into  the  clover-field  by  creep- 
ing through  a  hollow  log,  and  landed  in  the  mule-lot,  on  ac- 
count of  the  log  being  crooked,  was  not  more  surprised  at 
her  mistake  than  were  our  friends  at  theirs  when  morning 
dawned. 

But  it  is  not  alone  fanatical  heretics  that  indulge  in  such 
speculations  ;  their  follies  we  may  attribute  to  the  nature  of 
the  beast,  and  pass  on. 

When,  however,  a  Catholic  author  steps  out  of  the  ranks, 
and  gets,  like  Saul,  mixed  up  with  the  prophets,  the  case 
assumes  a  different  complexion. 

Not  many  weeks  ago  we  read  a  book  called  **  The  Chris- 
tian Trumpet,"  the  author  of  which  was  either  too  modest 
or  too  wise  to  favor  us  with  his  name.  We  found  it  there 
stated,  with  the  utmost  gravity,  that  Antichrist  is  already 
born,  and  at  this  present  writing,  must  be  quite  a  likely  lad. 
Some  old  woman  over  in  Italy  is  said  to  have  got  a  peep  at 


.168  ALETHAURION. 

Mm.  But,  by  what  means  she  identified  the  monster,  is  not 
stated.  The  author  further  remarks,  tliat  many  of  us 
now  living,  will,  ere  we  die,  see  things  not  pleasant  to 
look  at. 

Such  assertions  can  come  only  from  a  disordered  brain, 
and  they  strongly  remind  us  of  the  presumption  of  that  old 
English  woman,  who  in  a  fit  of  piety,  attempted  to  fly  like 
an  eagle  from  a  second  story  windts^  but  landed  head  fore- 
most ill  a  pile  of  ashes — ^^spraining  ooth  ankles  by  the  con- 
cussion. She  has  since  come  to  the  conclusion  that  flying 
is  either  one  of  the  lost  arts,  or  that  the  Church  of  England 
is  not  of  a  character  to  encourage  such  exercise. 

Ananias  and  Saphira  were  also  under  the  impression  that 
the  world  would  soon  have  come  to  an  end  ;  but  they  did 
not  feel  quite  as  sure  of  it  as  the  English  hag  did  of  her  ca- 
pacity to  navigate  in  air.  Hence,  they  did  not  like  to  risk 
too  much  on  the  event. 

Having  sold  their  possession  Ananias  brought  a  part  of 
the  proceeds  to  Peter,  and  gave  the  rest  to  Saphira,  to 
keep.  Peter  knew,  by  divine  relation,  the  agreement  they 
bad  made,  and  as  an  example  to  all  future  generatiotv.s,  he 
slew  them  for  lying  to  the  Holy  Ghost. 

Our  next  will  embrace  the  public  acts  of  St.  Peter,  from 
the  death  of  Saphira  to  the  raisino^  of  Tabitha  to  life. 


CHAPTEE  XXX Vn. 


tabitha. 


In  our  last  we  saw  how  Ananias  and  Saphira  were 
snuffed  out  by  St.  Peter  for  having  lied  to  the  Holy  Spirit. 
Their's  was  a  case  of  simple  pusillanimity.  They  wished 
the  cause  success,  but  on  account  of  the  littleness  of  their 
souls,  they  were  afraid  to  risk  what  they  had  in  the  move- 
ment. 


ALETHAURION.  169 

The  Fathers  of  the  Church  are  of  opinion,  that  the  trans- 
gression did  not  amount  to  more  than  a  venial  sin,  at  most. 
Hence,  having  come  to  an  untimely  end  here,  we  may  pre- 
sume that,  with  a  little  scorching  for  good  measure  sake  in 
the  other  world,  both  escaped  that  eternal  punishment  due 
only  to  mortal  sin.  Heretics,  of  course,  will  not  agree  with 
us  in  this  lenient  interpretation.  As  they  do  not  admit  the 
existence  of  a  Purgatory,  they  must  hold  that  the  soul  of 
AxAXiAS  sped  on  its  way,  like  a  bomb  from  a  Krupp  gun,  to 
the  bosom  of  Beelzebub. 

But  let  us  try  to  find  out  a  reason  why  the  hand  of  the 
Lord  was  laid  so  heavily  on  these  two  unfortunate  people. 
Judas  betrayed  the  Saviour,  and  yet  was  allowed  to  live 
until  he  put  an  end  to  his  own  wretched  life  with  a  rope. 
Annas  and  Caiphas  suborned  false  witnesses  against  the 
Just  One,  and  their  envy  was  not  quenched  in  g*)re.  The 
city  of  Jerusalem  failed  to  rejoice  in  the  day  of  its  visita- 
tion, yet  many  years  had  passed  ere  the  Roman  soldier 
wr-eathed  its  temple  with  flames.  Why  were  Ananias  and 
Saphira  struck  down  at  once,  when  others,  far  more  guilty, 
were  allowed  to  escape? 

The  providence  of  God  in  the  government  of  this  world, 
is  certainly  a  great  mystery.  But,  may  we  not  say  that  He 
often  strikes  the  less  guiljty  in  the  eyes  of  men,  and  then 
saves  them  before  the  angels,  in  order  to  warn  the 'more 
hardened  that  they  may  repent  and  have  life  ? 

Ananias  and  Saphira  have  been  regarded  by  spiritual 
writers  as  types  of  those  who  conceal  their  mortal  sins  in 
confession.  By  telling  a  lie  to  the  Holy  Ghost,  the  latter 
also  bring  upon  themselves  a  spiritual  death,  which  is  that 
of  the  soul. 

Not  long  after  the  events  related  above,  news  came  to  the 
Apostles  in  Jerusalem,  that  many  of  the  inhabitants  of  Sa- 
maria had,  through  the  preaching  of  Philip  the  deacon,  em- 
braced Christianity,  and  Peter  and  John  were  sent  by  the 


1 70  ALETHAURION . 

other  Apostles  to  lay  hands  upon,  that  is  to  confirm,  those 
whom  Philip  had  baptized. 

Those  who  deny  that  St.  Peter  received  from  the  Saviour 
a  jurisdiction  over  the  entire  Church,  make  capital  of  the 
fact,  stated  in  chapter  viii,  14,  Acts,  viz :  that  the  Apostles 
sen^  Peter  and  John.  He  who  has  the  right  to  5en(7  an- 
other on  an  errand  of  , any  kind,  say  they,  is  superior  in, 
authority  to  the  one  sent.  The  Apostles  sent  Peter  and 
John,  therefore,  etc. 

We  will  endeavor  to  knock  the  loo^ic  out  of  the  foresoinoj 
syllogism,  when  w^e  come  to  speak  of  the  primacy  of  Peter. 
Let  it  suffice  for  the  present,  to  have  called  attention  to  the 
fact.  The  next  glimpse  we  get  at  the  Prince  of  the  Apos- 
tles, through  the  earliest  records  on  these  subjects,  repre- 
sents him  to  us  at  Lydda,  in  the  house  of  one  Eneas,  whom 
he  raised,  miraculously,  from  a  bed  to  which  he  had  been 
confined  for  eight  years  with  the  palsy. 

Just  here  while  speaking  of  these  miracles  performed  by 
the  Apostles,  we  may  ask  ourselves  the  question,  whether 
the  power  of  working  them  was  given  in  such  a  manner  that 
it  could  be  exercised  at  any  time,  and  under  all  circum- 
stances ;  or  was  there  a  special  illumination  required  for 
each  particular  case.  No  doubt  a  great  deal  may  be  said  on 
one  §ide  and  on  the  other  of  this  question. 

The  very  fact  that  their  shadows  in  passing  were  known 
to  have  cured  the  infirm,  would  seem  to  indicate  the  pres- 
ence of  a  power  of  that  kind  permanently  abiding  with 
them.  Such  also  appears  to  have  been  the  belief  of  the 
faithful  who  lived  in  the  days  of  the  Apostles.  They  ap- 
pealed to  them  for  relief  from  their  infirmities,  with  what 
appears  to  have  been  an  entire  and  perfect  confidence. 

This  is  very  strikingly  illustrated  by  the  following  cir- 
cumstances :  At  Joppe,  a  town  of  considerable  size,  situated 
on  the  seacoast  of  Palestine,  there  lived,  in  the  days  of  the 
Apostles,   a   certain   woman,  a   believer,  named   Tabitha. 


ALETHAURION.  171 

This  woman  was  wealthy  and  she  freely  expended  no  incon- 
siderable portion  of  her  revenues  in  works  of  charity.  She 
did  not,  however,  go  around  like  some  of  our  modern  Dor- 
cases, seeking  audiences  of  St.  Peter,  and  then  get  some 
slippery  Dick  to  publish  abroad  the  fact,  to  let  the  world 
know  how  important  she  was.  The  praises  of  Tabitha  were 
principally  in  the  mouths  of  the  widows  and  orphans  whom 
she  had  clothed  and  supported. 

The  poor  did  not  find  out  from  the  Apostles  what  a  good 
woman  she  was,  because  in  doing  charity  she  sought  only 
the  glory  of  God,  and  carefully  avoided  all  worldly  noto- 
riety. But  even  the  just  and  holy  must,  after  a  time,  go  the 
way  of  all  flesh.  Tabitha,  or  Dorcas  as  she  was  sometimes 
called,  having  ran  her  godly  race,  was  numbered  with  the 
dead. 

A  crowd  of  weeping  friends  lingered  at  her  bedside  ;  one 
closed  her  sightless  eyes,  another  prayed  for  her  eternal  re- 
pose, a  third  laid  the  cross  upon  her  breast.  Sadness  had 
taken  possession  of  all,  until  some  one  announced  that 
Peter  was  in  Lydda,  and  that  he  had  cured  Eneas  of  the 
palsy. 

A  messenger  was  at  once  dispatched,  with  the  request 
that  he  would  come  to  Joppe.  On  his  arrival  many  poor 
and  helpless  widows  brought  to  him  the  coats  and  garments 
which  Dorcas  had  made  them,  with  the  request,  that  he 
would  again  raise  her  to  life. 

He  yielded  to  their  entreaties,  and  having  ordered  all  to 
retire  from  the  room,  knelt  down  and  prayed  that  God,  for 
His  own  greater  glory  and  for  the  exaltation  of  His  Son's 
name,  would  send  back  the  spirit  to  repossess  its  earthly 
casket.  His  prayer  was  answered  and  Tabitha  restored  to 
weeping  friends,  who  now  for  joy  wept  all  the  more. 

The  circumstance  of  Peter's  requesting  the  others  to 
withdraw,  and  of  his  praying  before  proceeding  to  work  the 
miracle,  may  tend  to  make  us  believe  that  even  the  Apostles 
did  not  feel  within  themselves  an  abiding  power  to  perform 


172  ALETHAURION. 

miracles  ;  but  that  in  each  particular  case  they  awaited  a 
special  permission  and  inspiration  of  the  Holy  Ghost. 

Yet,  of  one  thing  we  are  quite  certain,  that  there  is  no 
case  on  record  where  an  Apostle  willed  to  do  a  miraculous 
work  without  having  had  his  wish  granted.  **  Whatever 
you  shall  ask  the  Father  in  my  name,  He  will  give  it  to  you/' 
John  XV,  16. 

The  conversion  of  Cornelius  will  be  our  next  subject. 


CHAPTER  XXXVIII. 


CORNELIUS. 

There  are  few  things  so  flattering  to  man's  pride  as 
dominion  over  others.  It  pleases  corrupt  human  nature 
to  have  it  to  say  to  one's  self,  I  am  above  such  and  such 
persons ;  and  no  matter  what  they  may  do  that  is  good  or 
glorious,  still  the  law  recognizes  me  as  their  superior  in 
social  life,  or  at  least  their  equal.  Such  reflections  have, 
no  doubt  upheld  the  courage  of  many  a  princely  dunce ; 
may  be,  lessened  his  envy. 

The  tenacity  with  which  the  slave-holder  in  the  South 
clung  to  Sambo  is  evidence  enough  of  the  truth  we  have 
laid  down.  It  was  not  so  much  because  the  black  was 
valuable  as  a  farm  hand  that  he  was  prized  ;  no,  it  was 
because  it  flattered  his  master's  pride  to  see  creatures  like 
himself  tremble  when  he  whistled.  The  average  revival 
nigger,  before  the  war,  stole  more  in  bacon  and  chickens 
than  his  wages  now  would  suffice  to  buy. 

We  speak  here  of  course  of  those  bhicks  who  are  not  in 
"Con.irress,  nor  appointed  to  agencies  by  the  Government. 

The  persistency  with  which  men  seek  authority  over 
others,  and  the  tenacity  with  which  they  hold  on  to  it,  is 
often  mysterious,  sometimes  ridiculous. 

There  lives  in  the  town  of ,  in  this  State,  a  dry  goods 


ALETHAUBION.  173^ 

merchant,  who,  on  a  certain  day  during  the  past  summer, 
desired  to  have  cut,  for  cooking  stove  purposes,  a  few 
cords  of  wood  that  lay  in  the  alley  behind  his  residence. 
He  procured  the  services  of  an  African  gentleman  of  the 
purest  blood,  with  large  white  eyes,  and  lips  that  might 
lead  the  casual  observer  to  suspect  that  he  had  passed  the 
previous  night  in  a  bee-hive.  Sam  agreed  to  cut  and  split 
the  wood  for  a  certain  consideration,  part  in  money,  and 
the  rest  in  calico  for  his  wife,  Dinah. 

Now  there  lived  in  that  same  town,  at  the  time  we  are 
speaking  of,  a  good,  industrious  Englishman,  who  went  by 
the  name  of  John  Bull.  Bull  was  a  jack  of  all  trades, 
and  did  choring  around  hotels,  saloons  and  barber  shops, 
to  the  great  pleasure  and  entire  satisfaction  of  his  employ- 
ers. John  was,  in  fact,  a  reliable  draughthorse,  and  had 
none  of  that  skittishness  and  uncertainty  peculiar  to  the 
racer,  about  him.  He  came  across  the  black,  and  made  a 
trade,  by  which  Sam  was  to  give  him  twenty-five  cents  more 
for  cutting  the  wood  than  he  had  himself  agreed  to  do  it 
for. 

Cliff  Sutherland,  another  African,  overheard  the 
trade,  and  reproached  Sam  with  being  such  a  fool.  Sam 
thought  he  had  done  a  wise  thing  nevertheless.  *'You 
nappy-headed  nigger,"  said  he  to  Cliff,  <'you  don't  know 
nothin'  ;  ain't  it  worth  more'n  a  quarter  to  sit  in  the  shade 
and  boss  a  white  man." 

This  principle,  expressed  by  the  darkey  in  such  forcible 
terms,  has  been  taken  advantage  of  by  the  witty  and  the 
wise  of  every  age. 

Romulus,  the  founder  of  Rome,  with  that  intuitive  know- 
ledge of  human  nature  peculiar  to  all  great  men,  was  not 
slow  in  turning  it  to  account.  When  the  gang  of  robbers, 
of  which  he  was  chief,  had,  to  some  extent,  laid  aside  their 
predatory  habits  and  began  a  more  settled  mode  of  life,  in 
order  to   strengthen   his  own  authority,  and  give  greater 


174  ALEtHA  URION . 

stability  to  his  government,  he  divided  the  people  into  two 
distinct  classes. 

A  difficulty  met  him  at  the  very  threshold,  shortly  after 
having  conceived  this  idea. 

As  all  taken  together  were  nothing  but  a  lot  of  thieves 
and  cut -throats,  he  found  it  not  an  easy  task  to  discover 
where  to  draw  the  line  of  demarkation.  His  genius,  how- 
ever was  equal  to  the  occasion  ;  and  he  chose  out  the  biggest 
rascals  and  most  rapacious  scoundrels,  and  called  them 
patricians.  Only  those  who  were  thought  incapable  of 
giving  annoyance  were  left  among  the  plebians. 

Romulus  thought  of  governing  the  State  through  the 
patricians  or  privileged  class,  and  in  this  he  succeeded  well 
for  a  time  ;  but,  in  the  end,  it  proved  detrimental  to  the 
peace  and  happiness  of  the  republic.  He  had  vast  power 
of  organization,  and,  if  his  moderation  had  been  on  a  par 
with  his  general  ability,  he  would  not  have  come  to  a  violent 
death. 

But  we  are  drifting  from  our  subject ;  let  us,  therefore, 
return  once  more. 

Among  those  selected  to  be  patricians  there  was  one 
family,  or  geMS,  as  it  is  called  in  the  Latin  language,  that 
from  the  very  beginning,  appeared  to  have  been  above  most, 
if  not  all,  others.  It  was  the  Cornelian  gens.  To  write  its 
history  would  be  the  same  as  to  go  over  again  the  palmiest 
days  of  the  Roman  republic.  It  was  a  member  of  this 
celebrated  family  that  set  limits  to  the  pretensions  of  Car- 
thage, and  defeated  Hannibal,  her  best  and  bravest 
general,  on  the  plains  of  Zama.  But,  at  the  time  of  which 
we  are  now  speaking,  a  great  deal  of  the  ancient  glory  of 
the  Cornelian  gens  had  departed.  Many  who  bore  that 
proud  name  were  willing  to  accept  the  position  of  even 
centurion  in  the  Roman  armies.  The  higher  offices  were, 
as  a  matter  of  course,  filled  by  the  members  of  the  Julian 
family,  and  by  their  friends  or  favorites. 

Cornelius,  the  subject  of  our  present  paper,  gladly  left 


ALETHAURION.  175 

the  capital,  where  all  was  vice  and  venality,  to  take  com- 
mand of  one  of  the  Roman  garrisons  in  Palestine.  He  was 
one  of  the  gens  Cornelia,  which  fact  was,  at  this  time, 
rather  prejudicial  than  otherwise  to  his  advancement.  But 
he  sought  not  worldly  renown. 

After  a  residence  of  some  years  in  Palestine,  he  gained  a 
knowledge  of  the  true  God,  whose  will  he  greatly  desired 
to  know  more  perfectly,  in  order  that  he  might  worship  Him 
in  spirit  and  in  truth.  His  prayers  were  at  length  heard 
and  his  good  deeds  rewarded.  As  he  sat  in  his  house,  there 
appeared  to  him  one  afternoon  at  three  o'clock,  an  angel  of 
the  Lord,  who  bade  him  send  for  one  Simon  Peter,  who 
lived  in  Joppe,  and  that  from  him  he  should  learn  what  to 
do  in  order  to  be  saved. 

Peter,  in  the  meantime,  had  been  admonished  by  the 
vision  of  clean  and  unclean  beasts,  that  the  Gentiles  were 
made  co-partners  with  the  Jews  in  the  redepiption  purchased 
by  the  Saviour,  and  consequently  might  be  received  into 
the  Church. 

In  this  conversion  of  Cornelius,  we  have  an  answer 
given  to  a  question  that  is  sometimes  asked  by  the  unrea- 
soning and  unreflecting,  viz : 

What  is  the  use  for  Protestants  to  do  any  good  works  in 
this  life?  They  will  all  be  lost  any  how,  for  they  have  not 
faith,  without  which  it  is  impossible  to  please  God. 

We  may  reply  :  True,  if  they  remain  in  heresy  they  will 
be  lost,  but  by  their  good  works  God  may  be  moved  to 
open  their  eyes  to  their  errors,  and  bring  them,  in  His 
mercy,  to  the  knowledge  of  the  entire  truth,  as  He  did 
Cornelius,  who  was  probably  not  nearly  so  well  instructed 
in  regard  to  the  things  of  the  next  world  as  the  majority  of 
heretics  appear  to  be. 

Hence,  though  heretics  should  obstinately  refuse  t©  em- 
brace the  truth  when  presented  to  them,  it  is  still  right  and 
proper  to  exhort  them  to  the  practice  of  good  works.  And 
many,  no  doubt,  of   those  who   yearly  enter  the   true  fold 


176  ALETHAURION. 

are  brought  around  more  on  account  of  some  good  deeds 
they  have  performed  than  by  the  eloquence  or  logic  of  those 
who  preach  to  them. 

In  our  next  we  will  go  as  far  as  St.  Peter's  journey  to 
the  City  of  the  Seven  Hills. 


CHAPTER  XXXIX. 


HEROD. 


In  our  last  we  spoke  of  the  conversion  of  Cornelius. 
He  was  the  first  of  the  Gentiles  who  had  the  happiness  of 
being  received  into  the  true  Church.  With  all  the  preju- 
dices of  early  training  resting  on  his  shoulders,  he  had  never- 
theless, the  courage  and  the  manhood  to  throw  aside  the 
vain  trumpery  of  paganism  and  embrace  the  truth  when  pre- 
sented to  him. 

Cornelius  paved  the  way  to  his  conversion  by  a  good  life. 
And  it  is  highly  probable  that  he  was  the  friend  of  God, 
that  is,  free  from  mortal  sin,  even  before  he  had  seen  Peter. 
His  conversion  to  the  true  faith  appears  to  have  been  easily 
brought  about.  Though,  no  doubt,  a  man  of  considerable 
learning  for  those  times,  with  a  just  appreciation  of  the 
ancient  glory  of  his  ancestors,  and  of  his  own  standing  in 
society,  yet  we  do  not  read  that  he  had  any  considerable  dis- 
cussion with  Peter,  on  the  relative  merits  of  Paganism  and 
Christianity.  An  heretical  village  cobbler  would  give  an 
archbishop  more  trouble  at  the  present  day,  to  convince  him 
of  the  truth  of  the  Catholic  religion,  than  Cornelius  gave 
Peter. 

When  we  consider  the  fact,  that  at  the  time  of  which  we 
are  speaking,  the  Komans  had,  by  their  valor  in  war  and 
wisdom  in  peace,  become  masters  of  the  whole  world,  or  at 
least  of  all  that  was  worth  possessing  of  it,  we  can  hardly 
over-rate  the  nobility  of  Cornelius'  character.     For,  by 


ALETHAURION.  177 

this  one  act,  he  cut  himself  off  from  past  and  glorious  tra- 
ditions, and  from  all  hope  of  future  promotion. 

The  Romans  despised  the  Jews,  more  probably  than  they 
did  any  of  the  nations  that  had  ever  succumbed  to  their  arms. 
And  as  the  distinction  between  the  early  followers  of  the 
Saviour  and  the  Jews  was  not  very  clearly  defined,  the  fact 
of  a  man  of  patrician  rank  becoming  a  Christian  was  tanta- 
mount to  a  voluntaiT  degradation  of  himself  in  the  eyes  of 
his  countrymen.  But  what  Corj^elius  lost  in  the  estima- 
tion of  his  cotemporaries  has  been  abundantly  restored  by 
the  common  consent  of  the  good  and  wise  for  the  past 
eighteen  centuries. 

What  a  contrast  have  we  not  presented  to  our  eyes,  be- 
tween his  lif'e  and  heroism,  and  that  of  the  cowardly  sneak 
and  lackey,  whose  name  stands  at  the  head  of  this  chapter. 
Herod  was  in  every  way  the  opposite  of  Cornelius.  Base 
of  instinct,  and  a  swine  in  gluttony,  his  elevation  to  power, 
if  not  a  freak  of  fortune,  may  be  taken  as  an  evidence  of 
political  corruption.  He  was  neither  a  Roman  nor  a  Jew, 
but  he  had  the  arrogance  of  the  one  and  the  sordid  avarice 
and  bitterness  of  the  other.  He  had,  besides,  a  species  of 
low  vulpine  cunning,  which  those  flatterers  that  he  kept 
about  him,  called  genius,  and  in  which  he  did  himself  take 
great  delight. 

The  fact  that  God  sometimes  permits  wretches,  like 
Herod,  to  appear  in  His  name  here  on  earth,  and  exercise 
power  which  is  from  Him,  may  have  a  tendency  to  make 
thos€  that  have  not  the  faith,  disbelievers  in  a  direct  pro- 
vidence. Bad  or  incompetent  rulers  will,  no  doubt,  have  a 
meaning  in  our  eyes,  when,  in  another  life  they  are  opened 
more  fully,  and  are  permitted  to  see  more  cleai-ly  the  de- 
signs of  God  here  below  ;  but  at  present  it  would  be  a  vain 
task,  and  full  of  risk  to  attempt  to  state,  in  express  terms, 
the  whys  and  wherefores  of  their  being. 

Whether  it  is  the  wish  of  the  Supreme  Being  that  men 
should  endure  a   worthless   ruler,  is   also   a  question   that 


178  ALETHAURION . 

might  challenge  inspection.  When  the  Tarquins  of  Rome 
proved  themselves  unfit  for  their  position,  the  people  arose 
and  drove  them  out,  and  posterity  has  regarded  this  act  as 
not  only  justifiable,  but  even  glorious.  When  Louis  XVI 
and  the  nobility  of  France,  had  carried  their  empty  pride 
and  conceit  to  such  an  extent  that  the  peasantry  were,  in 
some  cases,  not  allowed  to  manure  their  lands  lest  it  might 
interfere  with  the  flavor  of  the  quails  and  partridges,  on 
which  the  nobility  feasted,  they  experienced  a  fall ;  and 
others  more  worthy  to  rule  took  their  places. 

We  have  no  hesitancy  in  saying,  that  when  a  ruler  has 
clearly  demonstrated  his  incompetence,  it  is  not  only  a 
privilege,  but  may  sometimes  become  even  a  duty,  that  the 
people  over  whom  he  rules  should  require  his  abdication. 

The  divine  right  of  a  king,  or  of  anyone  else,  to  do  wrong, 
is  very  justly  regarded  as  a  silly  assumption  ;  and  that  for- 
bearance that  stands,  with  folded  arms,  while  a  tyrant  or 
a  fool  is  making  havoc  with  what  men  do,  and  ought  to 
regard  as  dear  in  this  world,  may  be  esteemed  as  one  of  the 
virtues  of  a  slave.  When  a  king,  like  the  present  ruler  of 
Italy,  proves  himself  to  be  first  a  robber,  and  second,  the 
friend  and  protector  of  error  in  some  of  its  most  malignant 
forms,  we  do  not  esteem  it  a  paradox  to  say,  that  the  good 
and  true  among  his  subjects  could  lawfully  unite,  and  bring 
to  bear  upon  him  a  moral  pressure  that  would  force  him  to 
resio:n  a  throne  that  he  has  disijraced.  But,  as  it  has  been 
in  the  past,  so  it  is  likely  to  be  in  the  future — lazy  pol- 
troons will  still  put  off  until  the  day  of  judgment  the 
settlement  of  grievances  that  ought  to  be  choked  on  this 
side  of  the  tomb. 

The  facts  of  history,  which  are  the  footprints  of  the 
Almighty,  show  that  God  does  not  often  come,  in  a  direct 
manner,  to  the  aid  of  'those  who  receive  upon  their  necks, 
without  a  struggle,  the  yoke  of  injustice.  If  the  millions 
of  India  had  arisen  years  ago,  and  had  driven  Warren, 
Hastings,  Clive,  and  their  followers  into  the  sea,  or  had 


ALETHAURION.  179 

smothered  them  in  the  Ganges,  they  would  not  have  had  to 
witness  the  dissrustins:  sio^ht  of  seeins:  their  w^omen  draofsed 
by  the  hair  of  their  heads  through  the  streets  of  Calcutta, 
by  the  red-faced  and  thick-necked  minions  of  the  nation  of 
shop-keepers.  But,  may  be  wicked  rulers  are  given  to 
worthless  people  ;  and  it  is  only  on  this  hypothesis  that  we 
can  explain  the  fact  that  our  Herod,  the  lineal  descendant 
of  his  grandfather,  who  killed  all  the  children  in  Bethle- 
hem,-got  astride  of  a  throne. 

He  was,  in  a  manner,  worthy  of  the  degenerate  race  of 
Jews  that  lived  in  his  day.  Having  had  in  himself  nothing 
magnanimous,  nor  capable  of  winning  the  respect  of  the 
people,  he  sought  their  forbearance  by  making  war  on  the 
Apostles,  and  other  early  followers  of  the  Saviour. 

Th^re  appears,  under  certain  circumstances,  to  bo  a  kind 
of  sympathy  between  thieves,  that  we  cannot  easily  explain, 
but  it  is  a  fact  nevertheless.  Herod  and  the  Pharisees  got 
as  thick  as  pick-pockets,  and  apparently,  as  sincere  in  their 
friendship  as  two  retired  merchants,  who  had  both  been 
recognized  college  dunces  in  their  youth.  Herod's  first 
act,  by  which  he  hoped  to  please  the  Pharisees,  was  the 
murder  of  James  the  Apostle,  and  seeing  that  he  had  suc- 
ceeded well,  he  next  arrested  Peter  and  cast  him  into 
prison,  intending,  when  the  proper  time  came,  to  treat  him 
as  he  had  James.  But  Peter's  day  had  not  come  ;  he  had 
yet  great  labors  to  perform,  great  enemies  to  subdue  ;  he 
had  yet  to  visit  that  mighty  city  which  had  sent  its  conquer- 
ing legions  to  the  ends  of  the  earth,  and  preach  the  name 
of  Jesus  of  Nazareth  where  the  capitol  raised  its  proud 
head,  crowned  with  the  laurels  of  centuries. 

In  our  next  we  will  accompany  him  to  the  city  of  the 
Caesars. 

GETHSEMANI  ABBEY, 
6ETHSEMAN1.P.0,  KY. 


180  ALETHAURIONc 


CHAPTEKXL. 


THE  TBIUMPHANT  ENTRY  OF  THE  WORD  INTO  BABYLON. 

When,  in  1870,  Generals  Cadorna,  Bixo,  and  other  small 
heroes  of  young  Italy  led  a  portion  of  Victor  Emanuel's 
army  through  the  breach  at  Porta  Pi  a,  they  brought  with 
them,  or  there  followed  soon  after,  a  number  of  those  who 
had  been  exiled  for  their  wickedness  by  the  government  of 
Pius  IX.  Along  with  these  came  also  many  others,  who 
regarded  Rome,  under  the  Pope,  as  not  a  safe  place  to  ped- 
dle around  their  infidel  nonsense,  or  make  a  display  of  their 
immorality. 

Among  the  latter  was  that  incorrigible  apostate,  the  noto- 
rious Father  Gavazzi.  He  also  came  through  the  breach 
at  Porta  Pia,  but  in  a  manner  altogether  novel  and  peculiar. 
He  lead  over  the  ruins  with  a  halter  at  a  slow  pace,  a  huge, 
ungainly  jack,  laden  with  bibles  in  panniers,  one  on  each 
side. 

Some  heretical  ministers  followed  the  donkey  on  foot 
singing  psalm^.  At  the  interludes  they  turned  up  the 
whites  of  their  eyes  and  spoke  of  this  as  the  triumphal  entry 
of  the  Word  into  Babylon.  A  large  concourse  of  half 
grown  boys  and  some  roughs  brought  up  the  rear.  The 
children  had  tin  pans  which  they  beat  with  dexterity  and 
the  roughs  had  small  bugles  which  they  sounded  at  inter- 
vals. 

As  soon  as  this  noisy  crew  had  passed  within  the  gates  of 
the  city,  the  police,  as  a  matter  of  course,  dispersed  the 
rabble.  They  threatened  the  children  with  stripes  and  the 
jail  and  took  their  bugles  away  from  some  of  the  others, 
whose  ears  they  boxed  as  mementoes  of  the  occasion. 

Gavazzi,  the  donkey  and  the   preachers  were   allowed  to 


ALETHAURION  181 

continue  their  march  without  further  molestation,  by  way 
of  Monte  Cavallo,  as  far  as  the  Piazza  Navona. 

Piazza  Navona  is  the  largest  market  place  in  the  city  and 
enjoys  a  reputation  for  chaste  and  temperate  language,  sim- 
ilar to  that  of  Billingsgate,  in  London.  Here  the  donkey 
bucked  his  panniers  and  began  to  grow  obstinate.  One 
fishmonger  accused  another  of  having  poked  the  animals  in 
the  ribs  as  he  passed  by  the  stall. 

The  bibles  were  picked  up  and  distributed  gratuituously 
to  all  who  showed  the  least  anxiety  to  receive  them.  By 
far  the  greater  part  was  taken  immediately,  or  afterwards 
bought  up  from  children,  for  a  copper  or  two,  by  those  who 
sold  maccaroni,  ciambelle,  or  soap  in  small  quantities. 

We  may  observe  here,  in  passing,  that  the  Romans  have 
a  great  respect  for  the  scriptures ;  but  they  do  not,  any 
more  than  we,  regard  it  as  a  desecration  to  turn  to  profane 
uses,  those  corrupt  versions  of  the  bible,  which  heretics 
scatter  around,  in  order  to  deceive  the  unwary.  A  garbled 
copy  of  the  scriptures,  such  as  heretics  use,  is  not  the  word 
of  God. 

Gavazzi,  seeing  that  he  had  failed  in  creating,  by  his 
bible  demonstration,  even  a  respectable  ripple  on  the  placid 
surface  of  Roman  society,  looked  around  for  some  new 
rsource  of  excitement.  He  could  not  take  up  the  doctrine 
of  indulgences,  for  Luther  had  exhausted  the  subject ;  and 
the  world  had  become  as  tired  of  his  mouthings  as  an  old 
circus  man  of  the  extravagant  pranks  and  stale  jokes  of  the 
clown. 

The  doctrine  of  the  temporal  power  of  the  Popes  was  not 
in  the  programme  just  then ^  for  those  in  authority,  whom 
Gavazzi  greatly  respected,  wished  for  no  discussion  on  the 
subject.     He  shied   around  for   a   time,  waiting  for   some- 

t thing  to  turn  up.  Finally  a  bright  idea  presented  itself. 
"  I  will  deny,"  said  he,  "  that  St.  Peter  was  ever  in  Rome 
and  that  will  arouse  them  if  anything  under  the  moon  is 
Sipable  of  doing  it." 


182  ALETHAURION. 

The  next  day,  in  some  of  the  most  frequented  places  in 
the  city,  there  was  to  be  found  a  challenge,  in  large  letters, 
to  the  cardinals,  bishops  and  priests,  of  the  city  of  Rome. 
It  was  to  the  effect  that,  Gavazzi  was  ready  to  discuss  pub- 
licly, with  any.  one  of  the  aforesaid,  the  historical  question 
as  to  whether  the  Apostle  Peter  was  ever  in  the  city  of 
Rome  or  not.  Our  Holy  Father,  Prus  IX,  soon  after  the 
discussion,  refuted,  by  one  sentence,  the  assumptions  of 
Gavazzi,  more  effectively  than  his  opponents  had  done  with 
all  their  weight  of  learning.  **  I  am,"  said  Pius  IX,  *'  the 
successor  of  St.  Peter,  Prince  of  the  Apostles."  His  pre- 
decessors, for  eighteen  centuries,  past,  had  made  the  same 
declaration ;  and  the  writer  of  this  confesses  that,  never 
before,  did  the  importance  of  asserting  a  great  truth  strike 
him  with  such  force , 

As  bur  efforts,  in  these  papers,  are  for  the  benefit  of  the 
rank  and  file,  it  may  not  be  out  of  place;  to  state  wherein 
consists  the  importance  of  this  question.  The  coming  of 
Peter  to  Rome,  and*  his  death  there,  as  bishop  of  the  cit|^- 
are  what  theologians  call  dogmatic  facts;  that  is,  they  are 
not  simple  historical  facts,  such  as  that  Brutus  killed  Caesar, 
Napoleon  died  in  exile,  or  that  Grant  owned  a  pair  of  bull- 
dogs. A  (iogmatic.fact.,  is  one  so  intimately  connected  with 
a  doctrine  of  the  Church,  that,  if  one  should  succeed  in  prov- 
ing the  assumed  fact  untrue,  the  doctrine  or  doctrines 
founded  on  it  would  also  become  untenable. 

Now,  the  Pope  of  Rome  claims  a  primacy,  not  only  of 
honor  but  also  of  jurisdiction,  in  matters  appertaining  to 
faith  and  morals,  over  the  entire  Church.  That  is,  he  as- 
sumes the  right  to  make  laws  for  the  government,  in  spirit- 
ual matters,  of  all  baptized  persons  throughout  the  whole 
world.  This  he  claims  on  the  ground  that  he,  as  bishop  of 
Rome,,  is  the  successor  of  '  Peter,  to  whom  our  Saviour 
gave  the  powers  alluded  to,^to  be  used  by  him,  and  by  his 
successors  in  office,  for  all  time. 

Now  it  is  evident,  that,  if  Peter  never  came  to   Rom^ 


ALETHAURION  ^  183 

Pius  IX  would  have  no  more  right  to  call  himself  Petee's 
successor  than  the  King  of  the  Cannibal  Isle^  to  pretend 
that  he  is  the  successor  of  General  Washington,  first  Presi- 
dent of  the  tFnited  States. 

Consequently  with  the  disproval  of  the  fact,  all  the 
-claims  and  pretensions  of  the  Pope  of  Rome  would  vanish, 
at  once ,  into  the  air.  It  would  be  like  breaking  the  main  pipe 
just  at  the  water- works  ;  like  a  Turkish  bath  to  a  collier  ;  or 
a  swim  in  the  surf  at  Long  Branch  to  a  white-washed 
African. 

The  reader  may  now  see  more  clearly  what  Gavazzi  was 
aiming  at.  In  order  to  add  greater  importance  to  the  dis- 
cussion, he  procured  the  services  of  two  straggling  preachers, 
named  Sciarelli  and  Cipolla. 

Gavazzi 'knew,  as  a  matter  of  course,  from  the  start,  that 
he  had  no  chance  of  succeeding ;  especially  in  a  city  like 
Rome,  where  there  are  men  who  have  explored  every  nook 
and  corner  of  history  and  theology.  But,  he  thought  it  im- 
probable that  any  one  would  even  mke  the  pains  to  demol- 
ish him.  Then  he  could  boast  that  he  had  challenged  Rome, 
and  Rome  was  afraid  to  pick  up  the  gauntlets.  In  case  of 
acceptance,  he  hoped  by  swagger  and  effrontery,  to  save 
appearances,  in  one  or  two  speeches,  and  then  wriggle  out 
of  the  difficulty. 

In  our  next  we   will  see   more    about  the     interesting 
§cri*nmage. 
*     <•,.  '■ 


CHAPTER  XLI. 


THE  SCRI3«OIAGE. 


As  soon  as  the  fact  had  become  generally  known  that 
Gavazzi  had  challenged  the  clergy  of  Rome  to  dispute  on  the 
subject  of  the  coming  of  Peter  to  the  city,  the  number  of 
those  who  showed  a  willingness  to  buckle  on  the  sword  was 
simply  immense. 


184  AT.ETHAURION. 

These  were,  however,  principally  from  the  younger  por- 
tion of  the  ciergy  ;  each  of  whom,  no  doubt,  thought  that 
this  would  be  an  easy  way  of  gaining  an  honorable  promi- 
nence among  his  cotemporaries.  There  was  an  evident  itch- 
ing among  the  young  folks  to  knock  the  horns  off  an  old 
stag  like  Gavazzi. 

But  there  was  another  question  also  to  be  taken  in  con- 
sideration. Would  it  be  the  proper  thing  to  give  such  a 
man  the  honor  of  even  demolishing  him,  under  the  circum- 
stances. Cardinal  Axtoxelli  and  others,  distinguished  no 
less  for  learning  than  piety,  were  of  the  opinion  that  Gavazzi 
should  be  treated  with  silent  contempt. 

All  that  he  could  say  on  the  subject  had  been  answered 
dozens  of  times  already  ;  and  Gavazzi  knew  it.  Hence,  it 
appeared  to  some,  that  it  would  be  giving  him  undue  promi- 
nence to  take  any  notice  whatever  of  him. 

On  the  other  hand,  as  above  stated,  there  were  not  a  few, 
of  the  more  youthful  of  the  clergy,  who  were  actually 
spoiling  for  a  clip  at  the  old  buck.  They  looked  on  it  as 
a  piece  of  degeneracy,  to  let  a  donkey  beard  the  lion  in  his 
den,  without  leaving  him,  for  future  reference,  some  me- 
mento of  his  foolhardiness. 

Thus  a  pressure  was  brought  to  bear  on  the  Holy  Father, 
by  which  he  consented  to  let  the  dispute  take  place. 

Father  Fabiaxi,  a  distinguished  Roman  priest,  with  two 
others,  represented  the  Catholic  side ;  and  Gavazzi,  with 
his  brace  of  preachers,  stood  up  for  the  opposition  ;  Scia- 
RELLi  opened  the  discussion,  with  a  series  of  what  logicians 
call  negative  arguments.  That  is  he  attempted  to  show 
various  data  that  Peter  could  not  have  been  in  Rome  at  the 
time  Catholics  maintain  he  was. 

These  arguments  were  all  taken,  substantially  at  least, 
from  a  work  published  at  Turin,  in  the  year  1861,  by  an 
anonymous  author — no  doubt  an  apostate,  or  one  on  the 
road  to  apostacy.  Shortly  after  the  work  spoken  of,  had 
seen  the  lisjht,  it  was  taken  up  paire  by  page  and  refuted  in 

0     -      .     ■  . 


ALETHAURION.  185 

a  most  learned  and  satisfactory  manner,  by  tke  celebrated 
Jesuit  theoloofian,  Father  Perkoxe. 

Hence  Sciarelli,  who  had  read  both  the  works  and  its 
refutation,  knew  very  well  from  the  start,  how  the  discus- 
sion was  going  to  end. 

Fabiaxi  replied  to  the  heretic,  by  bringing  to  bear  on  him 
some  facts  of  history,  that  were  unanswerable  ;  and  finished 
his  discourse  by  brushing  away,  as  if  they  had  been  col)webs, 
those  little  chronological  difficulties  that  constituted  his 
stock  and  trade. 

The  whole  affair  might  remind  one  of  two  amateur  chess- 
players, going  through  again,  for  amusement  sake,  one  of 
Morphy's  celebrated  continental  games  ;  where  each  move 
and  reply  are  already  known  to  both  players ;  because  writ- 
ten on  the  book  before  them. 

The  discussion  ended  where  it  had  begun.  There  was  no 
additional  light  thrown  on  the  subject.  The  question,  in 
fact,  is  one  about  which  there  can  really,  among  men  of 
learning,  be  no  dispute  at  the  present  day.  It  has  long 
since  been  settled  for  good. 

However,  for  the  instruction  or  amusement  of  the  reader, 
we  propose  to  go  over  it  again  ;  and  give  the  reasons,  taken 
from  sacred  and  profane  history,  which  go  to  show  that 
Peter  not  only  came  to  Rome,  but  that  he  died  there,  as 
bishop  of  the  city. 

The  first  man  who  ever  denied  it  was  Marsilius  Menan- 
DRiNUS,  a  native  of  Padua,  in  Italy.  He  lived  in  the  begin- 
ning of  the  fourteenth  century ;  and  was  condemned,  for 
this  and  other  errors,  by  Pope  John  XII,  in  the  year  1327. 

About  the  same  time  Johx  Janduxus,  also  an  Italian,  and 
a  native  of  Perugia,  fell  into  the  same  errors,  and  was  like- 
wise condemned. 

These  two  men  were  politicians  rather  than  theologians, 
and  more  attached  to  the  philosophy  of  Aristotle  than  to 
the  teachings  of  the  Saviour.  It  was  not  out  of  love  for 
truth  they  wrote,  but  rather  with  the  view  of  gaining  favor 

% 


186  ALETHAUEION. 

with  Louis,  the  Duke  of  Bavaria,  who  was,  at  the  time^ 
head  of  a  schism  and  at  war  with  the  Pope.  From  the  death 
of  these  two  lights  to  the  time  of  Luther,  there  was  no 
other  person  found  reckless  enough  to  deny  this  truth. 

From  the  sixteenth  to  the  eighteenth  century  many 
Protestant  writers  labored  strenuously  to  prove  Peter  was 
never  in  Rome.  The  most  celebrated  of  these  was  Fred- 
erick Spanler,  a  German,  who  showed  considerable 
research  in  a  dissertation,  entitled,  "  About  rashly  believing 
that  the  Apostle  Peter  came  to  Rome." 

Towards  the  beginning  of  the  eighteenth  century,  the 
face  of  things  became  entirely  changed.  Protestant  authors 
of  any  name,  not  only  ceased  to  contend  against  the  truth, 
but  willingly  confessed  that  it  was  useless  to  impugn  it. 
Amono^  those  who  have  made  the  foreo^oins:  admission,  we 
may  mention  Pearson,  in  his  book  on  the  succession  of 
Roman  Pontiffs,  chap.  6  ;  Willia31  Cave,  George  Vale- 
sius.  Hist,  of  the  Church,  first  century ;  Samuel  Basxage, 
Ecclesiastical  Annals,  year  64.  Let  it  suffice  to  srive  from 
these  heretical  authors  a  single  quotation,  which  is  from 
the  one  last  mentioned. 

Basnage  says  :  "Neither  has  there  ever  been  a  tradition 
supported  by  a  greater  number  of  witnesses  than  that  Peter 
came  to  Rome  ;  the  fact  cannot  be  denied  without  tearing 
up  the  very  foundations  of  history." 

We  do  not,  of  course,  take  at  par,  what  heretics  have  to 
say  on  questions  of  history  and  theology ;  we  know  how 
their  brilliant  imaginations  run  far  ahead  of  the  order  of 
events,  and  how  they  are  disposed  to  mistake  future  contin- 
gents for  past  facts.  All  these  things  are  well  kno\vn  to 
us. 

But  when  one  of  their  number,  like  Basxage,  shows 
some  research,  we  may  be  permitted  to  give  what  little  he 
has  grubbed  up,  by  way  of  confirming  what  we  already 
know  from  orthodox  writers. 


CHAPTER  XLII. 


ALETHAURION.  187 

In  our  next  we  will  take  up  and  examine  the  earliest 
records  on  this  interesting  subject. 

FOSSILS.  ^^      "Cin^r 

After  having  spoken  in  the  last  chapter  of  how  the 
apostate  Gavazzi  was  picked  off  his  high  trotting  horse,  in 
the  passage  at  arms  between  him  and  Father  Fabiani,  we 
deem  it  expedient  before  descending  into  the  pits  of  ancient 
history  and  tradition,  to  make  a  few  observations  on  what 
has  already  been  said. 

First  of  all,  let  it  be  observed  that  fully  thirteen  centuries 
had  passed  into  the  ocean  of  years,  before  any  one  thought 
of  questioning  the  fact  that  Peter  came  to  Rome,  and  was 
crucified  there.  During  all  that  time,  the  Popes,  one  after 
another,  had  declared  themselves  his  successors,  and  Chris- 
tendom nodded  the  head  in  acknowledment  of  the  fact. 

Is  it  likely  that  such  a  declaration  would  have  passed 
unchallenged  for  so  many  ages,  if  it  had  not  had  upon  its 
forehead  the  mark  of  truth?  Is  it  conceivable  that  the 
Greeks  and  other  Oriental  schismatics  would  have  passed 
by  unnoticed,  a  point  in  theology  that  would  have  served 
their  purpose  to  a  nicety  ? 

Yet,  though  the  Greek  schismatics  have  had  among  them 
such  men  as  Photius,  Michael  Cerularius,  and  others, 
distinguished  no  less  for  their  hatred  of  Rome  than  for 
their  general  depravity,  still  the  fact  stands  out  in  bold 
relief,  that  not  one  of  them  ever  thought  of  opposing  the 
Pope,  on  the  plea  that  he  had  usurped  the  title  of  the 
''successor  of  the  Prince  of  the  Apostles." 

It  is  a  circumstance  worthy  of  consideration  that  Marsi- 
lius  Paduanus  and  Johx  Jaxdunus,  who  were  the  first  to 
denv  that   Peter  came   to  Rome,  were   both   tainted   with 


188  ALETHAURION. 

schism.  Moreover,  all  they  have  to  say  on  the  subject  when 
taken  apart  and  examined  critically,  does  not  appear  to  have 
much  solidity  in  it.  Neither  Marsilius  nor  John  brought 
forward  any  public  document^  nor  other  monuments  from 
antiquity,  in  support  of  their  views.  Hence  we  may  treat 
them  as  we  do  Gavazzi  and  others  of  his  ilk,  at  the  present 
day. 

Possession  is  nine  points  in  law  ;  and  the  Eoman  Church 
is  to-day,  and  has  been  for  eighteen  centuries,  in  possession 
of  the  fact  that  St.  Peter  was  the  first  bishop  of  the  city. 
Whoever  should  desire  to  invalidate  her  claims  must  brin2: 
forward  reasons  that  will  bear  to  be  examined  by  sun-light. 
This  has  never  been  done,  and  until  some  new  and  hitherto 
unheard  of  documents  are  discovered,  it  cannot  be.  As 
well  might  one  attempt  to  pulvei-ize  the  rock  of  Gibraltar, 
by  pitching  nutmegs  at  it,  as  try  to  disprove,  in  the  light  of 
such  historical  evidence  to  the  contrary,  that  St.  Peter  came 
to  Rome.  But  let  us  begin  with  our  positive  proofs  taken 
from  traditions  and  from  authentic  history.  Those  of  our 
readers  who  have  visited  the  Eternal  City  may  remember  to 
have  seen  the  Church  of  St.  Paul,  outside  the  walls,  on  the 
Ostian  Way. 

After  having  admired  the  altar,  built  of  alabaster,  mal- 
achite and  other  rare  stones,  as  also  the  forest  of  marble 
columns  that  so  much  attract  the  eye  of  the  tourist,  they 
may  remember  to  have  noticed  about  half  way  between  the 
floor  and  ceiling,  a  number  of  portraits,  all  in  mosaic. 

The  first  of  these  has  under  it  the  inscription  St.  Petrus, 
and  the  last,  Pius  IX.  These  are,  in  fact,  the  portraits  of 
all  the  Roman  Pontiffs  from  St.  Peter  to  Pius  IX. 
Whether  good  ones  or  not,  does  not  interfere  with  our  pres- 
ent argument.  The  writer  could  judge  of  the  correctness 
of  one  only,  and  he  feels  justified  in  saying  that  it  is  cer- 
tainly capital. 

Now,  this  series  of  portraits  we  know,  as  a  matter  of  au- 
thentic history,  was   begun  during  the   pontificate  of  Pope 


ALETHAURION.  18f^ 

Leo  I,  suriiamed  the  Great,  who  was  born  in  Rome  about 
the  year  390,.  and  died  in  the  same  city,  April  11,  461. 

Here  we  have,  at  once,  a  pretty  respectable  antiquity  es- 
tablished for  the  belief  that  Peter  came  to  Rome.  We  are 
not  ignorant  of  the  fact,  however,  that  a  few  days  before 
the  death  of  Pope  Pius  VII,  which  happened  in  the  year 
1823,  the  above  named  church  was  burned  to  the  ground,  in 
consequence  of  the  carelessness  of  some  workmen  employed 
in  repairing  its  roof  ;  yet  we  know  also  that  the  portraits 
were  again  restored,  as  nearly  as  possible,  as  they  had  been 
before  the  conflagration. 

Here  then  we  have,  in  these  portraits  alone,  an  historical 
monument  that  fixes  and  makes  certain  the  fact  that,  in  the 
city  of  Rome  in  the  year  490,  there  was  a  firm  belief  that 
Peter  was  the  first  Pope.  But  did  the  belief  in  this  com- 
mence at  that  time?  It  is  quite  evident  to  any  one,  not  an 
idiot,  that  if  the  Popes  had  begun  so  late  to  pretend  they 
were  the  successors  of  Peter,  some  one  would  have  been 
found  who  would  have  exploded  the  whole  thing  as  an  inno- 
vation. 

Suppose  that  General  Grant  should  declare  publicly  that 
he  is  the  successor  in  office  of  NapOleon  ;  would  not  the 
people  come  to  the  conclusion,  at  once,  that  too  much  old  rye 
had  made  him  cracked  ?  It  would  have  been  just  so  in  the 
days  of  Leo  I,  if  there  had  not  been  a  belief  among  the  peo- 
ple, to  the  effect  that  he  was  the  successor  of  Peter. 

As  the  existence  of  the  round  towers,  in  Ireland,  is  proof 
of  an  advanced  state  of  civilization  in  that  island  at  a  period 
more  remote  than  that  to  which  our  present  histories  go,  so 
the  presence  of  a  series  of  portraits  of  the  Popes,  with 
Peter  at  the  head,  in  one  of  the  Roman  Churches,  indicates 
a  belief  in  the  public  mind  that  he  was  there  at  a  time  pre- 
vious to  the  commencement  of  said  series. 

We  finish  the  present  chapter  with  a  quotation  from  the 
catalogue  of  Roman  Pontiffs,  published  during  the  pontifi- 
cate of  Pope  LiBERius.  In  this  we  read  the  following 
words : 


190  '  ALETHAURION. 

"  Peter  reigned  25  years.  1  month  and  9  days.  He  lived  in  the  time 
of  Tiberius  C^sar,  and  of  Caius  Caligula,  and  of  Tiberius  Clau- 
dius, and  of  Xero.  He  suffered  martyrdom,  along  Avith  Paul,  on  the 
third  day  before  the  kalends  of  July  (29th  June,)  under  the  consuls  afore- 
said, Xero  being  emperor.*' 

In  our  next  we  will  explain  the  entire   significance  of  this 

quotation. 


CHAPTEE  XLIII 


LIBEKIUS. 


Pope  LiBERius  began  his  pontificate  on  the  22d  of  May, 
in  the  year  352,  and  continued  to  steer  the  bark  of  Peter 
until  the  24th  day  of  September,  A.  D.  366.  He  then 
took  leave  of  the  things  of  this  world,  and  went  to  receive 
what  he  deserved  in  that  other  state  of  existence,  to  which 
popes,  kings,  emperors,  and  all  of  us,  are  marching  with 
solemn  and  certain  tread. 

LiBERius  was  held  up  by  those  who  denied  papal  infallibil- 
ity, as  an  example  of  a  Pope  who  fell  into  error,  by  ap- 
proving of  the  Arian  heresy.  The  learned  and  profound 
BossuET  tried,  in  his  day,  to  make  as  much  out  of  the  case 
as  he  possibly  could,  in  favor  of  Gallicanism. 

But  that  great  and  good  man  was,  in  this  particular  in- 
stance, laboring  under  a  delusion.  He  confessed,  however, 
to  his  secretary,  towards  the  end  of  his  life,  that,  notwith- 
standing he  had  studied  the  question  thoroughly,  still,  he 
did  not  find  any  thing  in  the  case  of  Pope  Liberius  that 
was  entirely  satisfactory,  or  a  convincing  proof  to  his  own 
mind,  that  the  Pope  in  question  had  really  endorsed  the 
Arian  heresy. 

What  we  desire  to  call  particular  attention  to,  is  the  cata- 
logue of  the  Popes,  published  during  the  reign  of  the  in- 
dividual of  whom  we  are  speaking.  This  catalogue  is  noth- 
ing more  nor  less  than  a  list  of  all  the   Popes   up  to   that 


ALETHAURION.  •  191 

time,  with  a  short  account  of  what  each  did,  or  had  done  to 
him. 

In  this  document  we  find  it  stated  that  Peter,  the  first 
on  the  list,  was  Bishop  of  Rome  25  years,  1  month  and  9 
days  ;  that  he  was  put  to  death  on  the  same  day  with  Paul, 
during  the  reign  of  the  emperor  Neeo  ;  and  in  it  Liberius, 
whose  name  occurs  last  on  the  list,  declares  himself  succes- 
sor of  St.  Peter,  Prince  of  the  Apostles. 

This  testimony  is  more  ancient,  by  fifty  years,  than  that 
of  which  we  spoke  in  the  last  chapter,  viz :  the  series  of 
portraits  in  the  Ostian  basilica.  But,  we  have  not  yet,  by 
any  means,  got  to  the  end  of  those  testimonies  that  ancient 
writers  have  seen  fit  to  leave  us  on  this  interesting  subject, 
^^either  will  we  have  finished  until  we  shall  have  heard  from 
the  mouth  of  Peter  himself  a  full  confession  of  the  fact. 

Our  next  argument  we  take  from  a  tradition,  altogether 
special  from  the  city  of  Rome.  There  has  been  among  the 
Romans,  from  the  very  earliest  times,  a  tradition,  to  the 
effect  that  the  Evangelist  Mark  wrote  his  gospel  in  their 
city ;  and  having  been  the  interpreter  of  Peter,  put  on 
parchment  simply  what  he  had  heard  from  the  Apostle.  We 
give  as  vouchers  for  the  existence  of  such  a  tradition,  the 
following  names,  Irexeus,  Against  Heresies,  book  ii,  chap- 
ter 8.  He  w^as  bishop  of  Lyons,  and,  having  suffered  mar- 
tyrdom at  quite  an  advanced* age,  in  the  year  202,  we  may 
regard  what  he  has  said  as  almost  coming  from  the  mouths 
of  the  Apostles  themselves.  He  was,  in  fact,  the  disciple 
of  PoLYCARP,  who  was  the  disciple  of  St.  John,  the  Evan- 
gelist ;  hence,  he  had  a  good  opportunity  of  knowing  some- 
thing about  the  labors  and  voyages  of  St.  Peter,  and  the 
talk  of  the  town  concerning  him. 

Tertullian,  who  lived  for  a  long  time  at  Rome,  in  book 
iv,  chapter  5,  Against  Marcion^  bears  testimony  to  the  exis- 
tence of  the  same  belief,  among  the  people. 

EusEBius,  the  Church  Historian,  in  book  iii,  chapter  39, 
is  another  witness  to  the  existence  of  the  aforesaid  tradition. 


192  ALETHAURION. 

Now,  admitting  that  the  Saviour  lived  here  on  earth,  as  is 
generally  supposed,  about  thirty-three  years,  and  that  St. 
Peter,  before  coming  to  Eome,  was  bishop  of  Antioch  fur 
a  period  of  seven  years  ;  taking  the  testimonies  of  Irexeus 
and  Tertulliax  as  belonging  to  about  the  middle  of  the 
second  century,  we  have  the  duration  of  this  oral  tradition 
narrowed  down  to  little  more  than  a  hundred  years.  Is  it, 
then,  anything  wonderful  that  the  Christians  of  Rome 
should  have  kept  alive,  by  oral  tradition,  for  so  short  a 
period,  the  knowledge  of  so  important  a  fact  as  the  coming 
of  St.  Peter  among  them,  and  of  his  labors  as  first  bishop 
of  the  city  ? 

Let  us  suppose  that  some  grand  duke,  or  earl,  should 
visit  the  United  States  this  centennial  year,  and,  in  the 
course  of  his  peregrinations  through  the  buildings  at  Phila- 
delphia, should  happen  to  ask  the  average  Yankee  lad,  who 
the  first  President  of  the  United  States  was.  The  boy 
would  most  likely  "  guess"  and  ''  calculate"  that  this  tassel 
of  royalty  did  not  know  much  anyhow.  Then  he  would 
say  to  him  :  '*  My  dear  fellow,  here,  in  America,  we  are 
taught  by  our  mothers  these  primary  facts  of  history,  while 
we  are  yet  nothing  but  pug-nosed  babies." 

The  Roman  matron,  also,  told  her  boy  of  how  the  first 
and  greatest  of  the  Apostles  came  to  the  city,  and,  how, 
after  twenty-five  years  of  labors  and  dangers,  he  was  at  last 
so  narrowly  pressed  by  the  spies  of  the  emperor,  that  he 
sought  safety  by  flying  at  night  from  the  city.  She  took 
him  outside  the  walls  to  the  spot  where  that  same  Apostle, 
in  his  flight  saw,  by  the  uncertain  light  of  the  moon,  the 
shadowy  figure  of  a  man  bearing  on  his  shoulders  a  heavy 
cross,  and  explained  to  him,  that  here  words  were  spoken 
which  convinced  Peter  that  the  time  had  come,  when  he 
was  to  seal  with  his  blood  as  a  testimony  for  all  coming  gene- 
rations, the  truth  of  what  he  himself  had  taught  the  Ro- 
mans, and  of  what,  in  the  persons  of  his  successors,  he  was  to 
teach  the  entire  world. 


ALEXHAURION.  193 

Tradition  on  doctrinal  points  is  not  always  reliable,  unless, 
as  in  the  case  of  the  Catholic  Church,  there  be  a  living 
teaching,  infallible  authority,  to  keep  it  pure.  But,  on  ques- 
tions of  fact,  of  public  importance,  and  for  a  comparatively 
short  time,  the  testimony  of  an  entire  city  may  be  regarded 
as  satisfactory. 

We  conclude  this  chapter  with  an  extract  from  the  writ- 
ings of  St.  Jerome,  who  died,  at  an  extreme  old  age,  in  the 
year  420.  He  was  reputed  the  most  learned  man  of  his  day, 
and  was  consulted  by  even  one  of  the  Popes.  In  his  work, 
On  illustrious  Men,  chapter  8,  we  read  the  following: 

"  Mark,  the  disciple  and  interpreter  of  Peter,  having  been  asked  by 
the  bretliren  at  Rome,  wrote  a  short  gospel,  putting  on  record  those 
things  which  he  had  heard  from  Peter.  On  hearing  which,  Peter  tip- 
proved  his  gospel  and  gave  it,  on  his  authorty,  to  be  read  in  the 
Churches." 

This  quotation  goes  to  establish  more  firmly  all  we  have 
said  on  the  subject  of  the  special  tradition  among  the  Ro- 
mans, that  Peter  came  to  their  city.  We  could  give  other 
testimonies  from  the  ancient  Fathers,  but  let  those  we  have 
selected  suffice  for  the  present. 

In  our  next  we  will  prove  from  the  scriptures  themselves 
what  we  have  in  this  chapter  established  by   tradition  only. 


CHAPTER  XLIV. 


BABYLON, 


Take  down  your  bible  and  look  at  verse  13,  chap,  v,   of 

Peter's  first  epistle.     There  you  will   read   the  following 

words  ! 

'    "  The  Church  which  is  in  Babylon,  elected  together,  saluteth  you ;  and 
so  does  my  son  Mark." 

This  is  the  passage  of  scripture  to  which  we  alluded  to  in 

the  last  chapter.     By  it  is  established,  beyond  all^cavil,  the 

fact  that  the  Prince  of  the  Apostles  not  only  came  to  Rome 


194  ALETH  AURION . 

but  that  he  gave  his  first  instruction  in  writing  to  the  faith- 
ful from  that  renowned  metropolis,  then  of  paganism,  now  of 
true  Christianity.  But  let  us  proceed  slowly,  and  speak 
first  of  Babylon,  in  the  literal  sense,  and  then  we  will  better 
understand  the  full  drift  of  our  text. 

Babylon  is  the  name  of  a  city  renowned  in  sacred  and 
profane  history ;  it  was  situated  on  both  sides  of  the 
Euplirates,  about  three  hundred  miles  above  its  junction 
with  the  Tigris. 

Its  founder  was  Nimrod,  the  great-grand-son  of  Noah, 
who,  as  the  scripture  informs  us,  was  a  *' mighty  hunter 
before  the  Lord,"  and  no  doubt,  a  man  of  barbarous 
and  wicked  instincts.  He  began  by  measuring  strength 
with  the  wild  beasts  that  infested  the  country,  and 
having  succeeded  well,  he  turned  his  hand  against  his  own 
species,  founding  his  empire  in  blood.  Babylon  was  pro- 
bably the  greatest  city  ever  built  by  man. 

It  stood  in  the  center  of  an  exceedingly  fertile  tract  of 
country,  and  was  watered  by  the  Euphrates,  which  divided 
it  into  two  equal  parts.  Its  walls,  which  formed  a  perfect 
square,  were  three  hundred  feet  high,  eighty-seven  feet 
thick  at  the  base,  and  wide  enough  on  top  to  allow  four 
chariots  to  run  abreast.  It  had  one  hundred  brazen  gates, 
and  according  to  some  writers,  two  hundred  and  fifty 
towers  rising  still  higher  than  the  walls,  as  means  of  defence 
against  its  foes.  These  dimensions  appear  to  us  almost 
incredible,  yet  they  are  vouched  for  by  some  of  the  greatest 
historians  of  antiquity.  Babylon  having  been  the  first  city 
built  after  the  deluge,  and  being  so  strongly  fortified,  soon 
became  the  home  of  all  the  great  and  powerful  of  the 
surrounding  country. 

For  the  Babylonian  millionaire  had  as  much  confidence  in 
his  walls,  as  a  means  of  protection  to  himself  and  his 
money,  as  any  modern  banker,  in  his  wrought-iron  and 
burglar-proof  safe.  The  consequence  of  all  this  wealth, 
and  feeling  of  security  in  the  enjoyment  of  it,  was,  that  the 


ALETHAURION.  195 

kings  and  people  of  Babylon  became  exceedingly  proud  and 
puffed  up  with  their  own  consequence. 

Hence  it  became,  and  remained  for  ages,  the  home  of 
luxury  and  iniquity,  and  the  nest  of  many  an  unclean  bird, 
until  finally,  the  vices  and  wickedness  of  its  people  drew 
down  upon  it  the  wrath  of  Him,  against  whose  powerful 
arm  no  walls  of  brick  nor  gates  of  brass  afford  protection. 

Cyrus,  the  king  of  the  Medes  and  Persians,  marched 
against  it,  at  the  head  of  a  mighty  army,  took  the  city  by 
a  strategem,  killed  its  monarch,  and  relieved  its  people  of 
much  of  their  surplus  wealth  as  well  as  conceit. 

This  event  happened  in  the  year  538  before  Christ, 
and,  from  that  time  the  great  city  began  to  decline.  Two 
hundred  years  later,  Alexander,  the  son  of  Philip,  having, 
in  the  three  great  battles  of  the  Granicus,  Arbela  and 
Issus^  dashed  the  Persian  monarchy  to  the  earth,  desired  to 
restore  Babylon  to  its  ancient  splendor.  But  great  and  con- 
tinued success  had  now  demented  the  hero  and  conqueror, 
who,  despising  the  humble  lot  of  man,  sought  the  honors  of 
a  god.  His  officers,  while  admitting,  what  posterity  has 
fully  endorsed,  that  no  such  a  warrior  had  ever  before  ap- 
peared in  the  world,  were  loth,  notwithstanding  to  believe 
him  an  immortal  being.  And  he  who,  so  ambitiously 
aspired  to  pass  for  a  god,  is  said  to  have  died  a  death  unbe- 
coming a  man. 

After  the  death  of  Alexander,  the  city  of  Babylon 
went  fast  to  decay,  until  now  its  desolation  is  so  complete 
that  the  place  where  it  once  stood  is  a  matter  of  specula- 
tion. 

Thus  far  we  have  spoken  of  Babylon  in  the  literal 
sense.  The  name  of  that  proud  city  has  become  a  synonym 
for  worldly  pomp  and  moral  depravity.  It  was  by  excel- 
lence the  city  of  Satan,  as  distinguished  from  Jerusalem, 
the  city  of  God. 

No  other  city  of  ancient  times  approached  the  power 
and  magnificence  of  Babylon,  except  pagan   Rome,  and   if 


196  *  ALETHAUBION. 

the  scriptures  were  silent,  we  might  doubt  to  which  the 
palm  of  temporal  greatness  and  wickedness  ought  to  be 
awarded.  But,  inasmuch  as  the  head  of  gold,  in  Daniel's 
vision,  was  superior  to  the  legs  of  iron,  so  we  may  conclude 
that  no  greater,  certainly  no  more  wicked  than  the  Babylo- 
nian empire  ever  existed. 

We  now  come  to  speak  of  that  mystic  Babylon,  which 
is  no  other  than  pagan  Eome.  Rome,  situated  on  the  river 
Tiber,  in  Italy,  about  sixteen  miles  from  its  mouth,  was 
founded  by  a  notorious  robber,  named  Romulus,  about  TSS- 
years  B.  C.  Unlike  Nimkod  who  made  war  on  wild  beasts, 
and  was  in  consequence  dreaded  by  them,  Romulus  received 
his  first  nourishment  from  the  dugs  of  a  she  wolf,  that 
found  him  exposed  on  the  banks  of  the  Tiber. 

After  having  founded  the  city,  one  of  his  first  exploits 
was  to  murder  his  own  twin  brother,  for  having  leaped  over 
the  walls.  And  in  two  thousand  five  hundred  years,  few, 
if  any,  have  accomplished  the  feat  and  failed  to  experience 
the  same  fate. 

The  conqueror  of  CanncB,  who  sent  to  Carthage  three 
bushels  of  golden  rings,  taken  from  the  fingers  of  the 
Roman  knights,  slaughtered  in  that  battle,  thought  it  best 
not  to  attempt  to  enter  the  city.  And  it  were  better  for  a 
military  Falstatf  not  to  rush  in  where  Hannibal  feared 
to  tread. 

We  shall  in  our  next,  resume  our  musings  on  these  inter- 
esting subjects. 


CHAPTER  XLV. 


BABYLON    THE    MYSTIC. 


Romulus,  as  stated  in  the  last  chapter,  was  the  founder 
of  the  city  of  Rome.  He  also  gave  it  a  .name,  and  was 
recognized  as  its  first  king.     By  the  word,  little  else  need 


ALETHAURION.  197 

V^e  understood,  beyond  the  fact  that  he  was  simply  a  ring- 
leader among  a  lot  of  rough,  half -civilized  brigands.  If 
Tom  Allen,  Jem  Mace,  John  Morrissey  or  the  O' Baldwin 
had  lived  in  the  days  of  Romulus,  either  of  them  might 
have  easily  become  his  competitor,  and,  may  be,  outshone 
him. 

Physical  strength  and  CQurage  were  admired  in  ancient 
times  ;  and,  among  savage  tribes,  are  still  held  in  as  much 
esteem  as  intelligence  and  refinement  are  among  civilized 
people.  Even  now  we  all  admire  a  fine  specimen  of  the 
physical  man ;  and  it  is  just  that  we  do  so,  for,  whatever 
oomes  near  perfection  in  nature,  God  has  intended  for  our 
instruction.  Moreover,  look  for  noble  qualities  of  mind  in 
the  athlete  rather  than  in  the  dwarf  or  cross-eyed  sphinx. 
There  is,  however,  a  higher  type  than  either.  Physical  per- 
fection, united  with  mental  endowment,  tempered  with  a 
moral  sense,  makes  the  highest  type  of  manhood.  The 
Saviour,  the  center  figure  of  creation,  is  the  only  human 
being  that  was  absolutely  perfect.  He  possessed  all  of 
good,  physically,  intellectually  and  morally  that  human 
nature,  as  at  present  constituted,  is  capable  of  receiving. 

Hence,  men  become  great  or  mean  in  proportion,  as  they 
approach  to  or  recede  from  the  model. 

Romulus,  after  having  engaged  in  many  encounters  with 
neighboring  tribes,  finally  succeeded  in  putting  down  all 
opposition  in  his  immediate  vicinity. 

Then  his  heart  was  exalted,  and  he  became  somewhat  of 
a  tyrant.  Those  who  had  fought  by  his  side,  and  knew 
what  he  was,  and  where  he  had  sprung  from,  did  not  wish 
to  yield  up  all  their  rights  and  become  simply  his  servants. 
The  consequence  of  all  this  was,  that,  one  day  at  a  great 
celebration  held  in  Campus  Martins,  some  conspirators  set 
upon  him  during  a  thunder  storm,  killed  him,  and  in  all 
probability,  threw  his  body  into  the  Tiber. 

These,  in  order  to  cover  up  their  guilt  and  shield  them- 
selves from  the  punishment  it  deserved,  hired  a  man  named 


198  ALETHAUEION. 

PuocuLus  Julius,  to  swear  in  public  assembly  that  the  late 
king  had  appeai-ed  to  him  in  a  vision  and  declared  that  he 
had  been  taken  up  by  the  gods  into  heaven.  No  further 
inquires  were  made  about  Ro^hulus  ;  for  few  troubled 
themselves  about  a  dead  king,  or  temporal  ruler  of  any 
kind  when  cashiered. 

He  was  succeeded  by  Nu^ia  Pompilius,  who,  though  not 
pugnacious  and  violent  of  temper,  was  not  near  so  reliable  a 
man  as  Ro3HULus. 

Pompilius  was,  in  fact,  a  consummate  hypocrite,  and, 
like  all  others  of  his  kind,  succeeded  well  in  his  day ;  but 
left  after  him  the  seeds  of  rottenness  and  sin. 

He  knew  from  the  beginning  that  he  had  to  deal  with  a 
rough  and  dangerous  set  of  people.  Hence,  he  tried  to 
gain,  by  cunning  and  trickery,  the  inliuence  that  he  felt  it 
would  be  impossible  for  him  to  have  acquired  by  manly  arts. 
Nu^iA  gave  out  that  he  was  favored  with  visits  of  a  super- 
natural kind,  from  a  nymph  called  Egekia,  who  taught  him 
all  that  he  should  do  in  the  way  of  introducing  religion 
among  the  people.  Up  to  this  time  those  half  civilized 
tribes  of  Italy  were  mostly,  if  not  entirely,  believers  in  one 
Supreme  Being. 

NuMA,  whose  soul  was  as  tortuous. as  a  labyrinth,  for  his 
own  ao^orrandizement  introduced  an  interminable  number  of 
gods  and  goddesses,  all  of  whom  were  to  be  worshipped. 
But,  the  king  himself  was  to  be  high  priest.  He  thus  suc- 
ceeded in  making  idolators  of  the  people,  rendering  them, 
with  all  this  show  of  religion,  more  blind,  spiritually,  than 
they  had  been  before. 

After  the  death  of  Numa  Pompilius,  some  five  other  kings,, 
one  after  another,  succeeded  to  the  throne.  The  last  of 
these  was  Tarquin,  suruamed  the  proud.  He  had  only 
reigned  a  short  time,  when  the  people  rose  up  in  arms  and 
sent  him  off,  because  of  his  arrogance  and  general  worth- 
lessness. 

They  then  took  the  management  of  affairs  into  their  own 


ALETHAUKION.  199 

hands,  and  succeeded  so  well,  that  they  made  Rome  mistress 
of  the  world. 

Shortly  after  the  expulsion  of  King  Tarquin,  an  idea 
appears  to  have  grown  up  in  the  minds  of  the  people,  that 
the  city  itself  was  eternal;  and  that  it  was  among  the  de- 
crees of  fate  that  Rome  wo*uld  make  laws  for  the  world. 
We  have  not  been  able  to  discover  the  origin  of  this  strange 
belief.  Yet,  the  facts  of  history  for  the  past  two  thousand 
^ye  hundred  years,  vrould  seem  to  show  that  it  was  not  all 
guess  work ;  or,  at  least,  that  there  was  a  good  deal  of 
method  in  their  guessing.  Rome  ruled  the  ancient  world  by 
arms,  and,  in  modern  times,  she  leads  mankind  by  the  gentle 
influence  of  religion. 

To  the  kingly  period  succeeded  the  republican  era.  During 
this  time,  which  lasted  from  about  the  year  250  to  the  year 
43  before  Christ,  Rome  made  most  of  her  conquests  in 
different  quarters  of  the  world.  Her  victorious  soldiery, 
along  with  the  spoils  and  captives  of  conquered  provinces, 
brought  back  with  them  also  their  vices  and  superstitions. 
The  gods  of  all  nations  were  naturalized  on  the  banks  of  the 
Tiber,  and  the  vices  of  the  conquered  taking  fresh  root  in 
the  city,  flourished  like  briars  on  a  grass- widow's  farm. 

The  number  of  slaves  had  so  increased  that  one  could  be 
bought  for  a  trifle.  Indeed,  such  men  as  Lucullus  are  said 
to  have  killed  a  dozen  or  so,  occasionally,  and  thro^vn  their 
bodies  into  artificial  lakes  to  feed  his  eels.  It  was  believed 
that  fish  fed  on  the  flesh  of  slaves  were  more  tender  and 
palatable  than  if  they  had  been  brought  up  on  common 
worms.  With  the  acquisition  of  wealth  and  the  removal  of 
all  fear  of  enemies  from  without,  vice  and  immorality  held 
high  carnival  in  Rome,  until  finally  a  change  of  some  kind 
had  to  come. 

This  was  brought  about  by  Julius  Cj.sar,  a  Roman  by 
birth,  a  man  of  great  natural  ability,  eloquent  in  the  senate 
and  courageous  in  the  field.  By  way  of  preparation  for 
upsetting  the  government  of  his  native  city,  he  led  an  army 


200  ALETHAURION. 

into  Gaul,  and  is  said  to  have  destroyed  one  million  of  the 
inhabitants. 

CiESAR  succeeded  in  putting  himself  at  the  head  of  affairs 
in  Rome,  but  his  great  merits  as  a  commander  and  states- 
man, as  well  as  the  oppressiveness  of  genius  triumphant, 
excited  the  envy  and  hatred  of 'those  who  were  his  pretended 
friends,  but,  in  reality,  political  rivals  ;  each  one  of  v;hom 
would  be  a  Caesar  if  he  could.  But  it  is  a  great  deal  easier 
to  kill  a  man  of  genius,  than  to  act  as  one  ;  a  lesson  which 
Brutus  learned  to  his  cost  at  Philippi. 

Shortly  after  the  death  of  C^sar,  his  nephew,  Augustus, 
became  emperor.  During  his  mild  and  peaceful  reign, 
Rome  grew  apace.  But  he  was  succeeded  by  fcui*  others  of 
his  blood,  of  whom  it  may  be  said,  if  history  speaks  aright, 
that  they  were  little  less  than  incarnations  of  the  Devil. 
WTiile  these  reigned,  Rome,  already  bad,  became  diabolical, 
until  the  Christains  who  lived  there,  called  it,  in  the  mystic 
sense,  Babylon. 

In  our  next  we  will  show  from  parallel  passages  of  scrip- 
ture, and  from  the  testimony  of  co-temporary,  or  almost 
co-temporary,  writers  that  the  Babylon  spoken  of  by  St. 
Peter  is  no  other  than  Pagan  Rome. 


CHAPTER  XLYI. 


HUGO  DE  GROOT. 

In  the  last  two  chapters  we  spoke  of  Babylon  in  the  literal 
as  well  as  mystic  sense  of  the  word  ;  it  remains  that  we  see 
to  which  of  these  Peter  alludes,  in  his  first  epistle.  The 
question  is  altogether  one  of  fact,  and  must  be  decided  by 
extrinsic  evidence.  Let  us  see,  then,  what  reasons  have  we 
for  supposing  that  Peter  had  reference  to  Babylon  on  the 
Tiber,  and  not  to  that  other  on  the  Euphrates. 

Along  with  those  arguments  given  already  in  previous 


ALETHAURION.  201 

chapters,  we  may  mention,  that,  at  the  time  Peter  wrote 
his  epistle,  and  for  many  years  after,  it  was  customary 
among  the  Christians  living  in  Rome,  to  call  the  city  Baby- 
lon. In  support  of  this  assertion  we  would  refer  the  reader 
to  chapters  xvii  and  xviii,  of  the  book  of  Revelation  ;  where 
St.  John,  the  Apostle,  speaks,  according  to  the  opinion  of 
the  best  commentators  of  Pagan  Rome^  under  the  name  of 
Babylon. 

Heretics  freely  admit  this.  But,  like  every  thing  else 
that  comes  from  them,  truth  and  error  are  hopelessly 
mixed.  They  do  not  deny  that  St.  John,  in  the  chapters 
alluded  to,  speaks  of  Rome  ;  but,  by  Rome,  they  do  not 
mean  as  we  do,  and  as  the  sense  and  facts  of  history  require, 
that  Pagan  Empire  which  put  to  death  millions  of  Catholics, 
our  ancestors  in  the  faith. 

The  Mystic  Babylon  spoken  of  in  chapters  x\ii  and  xviii 
of  Revelation,  means,  according  to  them,  the  Catholic 
Church  itself.  The  idea  is,  of  course,  in  perfect  conformity 
with  the  character  of  their  minds.  It  bears  the  imas^e  and 
the  superscription  of  Lucifer,  whose  system  of  atacking 
mankind  consists  in  being  entirely  unsystematic.  Satan 
does  not  care  whether  he  gains  his  point  logically  or  by  a 
fallacy.  He  does  not  argue  in  regular  form  with  mankind, 
when  he  desires  to  draw  them  on  to  destruction.  He  asserts, 
contradicts,  distorts  facts ;  and,  on  those  who  tamper  with 
him,  he  usually  succeeds  in  producing  a  bewilderment  of 
intellect  that  leads  to  infidelity  ;  and,  once  that  he  has  drawn 
his  victim  into  disbelief,  he  puts  the  finishing  touch  to  his 
work  by  suggesting  immorality. 

It  is  thus,  also,  but  in  a  far  less  perfect  manner,  that  men 
tainted  with  infidelity  or  heresy,  write  -{ind  speak  about 
religious  matters.  They  do  not  study  consistency,  nor  do 
they  care  about  it.  They  choose  rather  to  misrepresent  the 
existing  religion  than  attempt  to  give  us  any  thing  better 
instead  of  it.  But,  as  religion  is  not  so  open  to  sarcasm  as 
those  who  make  profession  of  it,  and  may  be  said  to  r«pre- 


202  ALETHAURION. 

sent,  hence,  it  happens  that  men  tainted  with  the  spirit  of 
heresy,  expend  their  witticisms  on  the  ministers  themselves, 
instead  of  attacking  what  they  preach.  In  dealing  with  such 
characters,  the  most  effective  weapon  appears  to  be  the 
sword  of  the  flesh,  which  is  the  knuckles. 

Luther,  at  the  beginning  of  the  Protestant  reformation, 
abused  and  ridiculed  monks,  and  religious  orders  generally,, 
with  such  persistency,  that  many,  by  the  mere  force  of  hear- 
ing the  same  lie  repeated  so  often,  believed  it  at  last.  He 
was  the  j^erfection  ;  the  ne  plus  ultra  of  an  heresiarch  and 
balked  at  nothing.  Drunkenness,  profanity  and  adultery 
were  his  pastimes.  Consequently,  it  may  be  said  that  such 
a  man  as  he,  was  impervious  to  any  other  than  physical 
arguments. 

It  was  he  who  first  called  Christian  Rorae^  or  rather  the 
Catholic  Church,  by  the  name  of  Babylon.  But  to  attempt 
to  define  by  what  line  of  argument  he  arrived  at  such  a  con- 
clusion, would  be  the  same  as  trying  to  fathom  Satan,  whose 
leadership  Luther  followed  on  all  occasions,  after  his  apos- 
tacy  ;  may  be  without  being  aware  of  the  dreadful  depth 
and  designs  of  that  arch  enemy  of  the  human  race.  The 
common  run  of  preachers  nowadays  only  repeat,  on  this  sub- 
ject, those  ideas  which  Luther  got  from  Lucifer.  The 
only  difference  in  the  case  is  this,  that  Satan,  by  his  arts, 
had  evidently  produced  a  bewilderment  in  the  mind  of  the 
heresiarch,  just  as  hawks  do,  by  flapping  their  wings  in  the 
eyes  of  those  rabbits  they  desire  to  catch  ;  whereas  he  sim- 
ply drives  along  in  a  quiet  way,  the  heterodox  pf  our  times,, 
just  as  a  man  would  a  drove  of  cattle  to  tlie  shambles. 

When  we  reflect  on  the  fact  that,  of  all  those  who  have 
believed  in  Christ,  from  the  days  of  the  Apostles  to  our 
own,  fully  five-sixths,  and  probably  a  higher  average,  have 
been  Catholics  ;  when  we  take  into  consideration  that  all  the 
nations  converted  from  Paganism,  had  the  light  of  the  gos- 
pel first  pomted  out  to  them  by  Catholic  missionaries  ;  when 
we  find   that,  in   the   Church  of  Rome   alone,   the  three 


ALETHAUBIQN.  203 

evangelical  counsels,  of  voluntary  poverty,  perpetual  chastity 
and  entire  obedience,  are  practiced,  we  certainly  must  con- 
clude that  there  must  be  a  bewilderment  of  intellect  in  the 
man  who  calls  Christian  Rome  by  the  name  of  Babylon. 

But,  let  us  return  again  to  the  point.  That  Peter,  in  his 
epistle,  means  Pagan  Mome^  receives  further  confirmation 
from  what  we  read  in  the  writings  of  Tertullian.  In  book 
iii,  chapter  13,  Against  Marcion,  and  in  chapter  ix,  of  his 
tract  Against  the  Jews,  he  bears  testimony  to  the  fact  that 
in  his  time  it  was  a  very  common  practice  among  Christians, 
to  speak  of  Pagan  Rome  under  the  title  of  Babylon. 

St.  Jerome,  also,  in  chapter  viii,  of  his  work  on  Illustri- 
ous Men,  uses  the  following  words  : 

"  Peter,  in  his  first  epistle,  under  the  name  of  Babylon,  figuratively 
means  Kome." 

There  have  been  many  conjectures  offered  by  learned  men 
as  the  reason  why  Peter  used  the  word  Babylon  instead  of 
Rome.  It  is  foreign  to  our  purpose  to  take  up  and  weigh 
these  different  opinions.  But,  we  may  by  allowed  to  offer 
one  of  our  own.  We  regard  it  as  entirely  probable  that 
Peter  had  no  other  motive,  when  he  put  on  parchment  the 
word  Babylon,  beyond  the  desire  to  express  his  dissatisfac- 
tion with  a  city  that  represented  an  idea  that  he  was  com- 
missioned to  combat. 

We  have  frequently,  in  this  work,  made  use  of  the  word 
heretic  simply  and  solely  to  express  our  contempt  and  dis- 
like of  religious  error ;  though,  in  our  daily  relations  with 
heresy,  in  the  concrete,  it  can  scarcely  be  said  that  we  have 
ever  knowingly  slighted  any  one  on  account  of  his  belief. 

The  Apostles,  and,  in  fact,  most,  if  not  all  the  ancient 
Fathers  of  the  Church,  were  very  select  in  their  words. 
That  is,  if  a  man  was  a  heretic  they  called  him  so.  There 
was  no  **separated  brethren"  in  those  days.  So,  when  the 
Prince  of  the  Apostles  had  occasion  to  speak  of  the  city  of 
the  Ceesars,  he  fossilized  his  detestation  of  its  vices  and 
wickedness  in  the  word  '* Babylon." 


204  ALETHAURION.  , 

We  bring  the  present  chapter  to  a  close  with  a  quotation 
from  a  Dutchman,  named  Hugo  de  Groot.  In  Latin  he 
is  called  Grotius,  and,  among  men  of  ability  in"  his  day,  he 
held  no  mean  place.  De  Groot  was  a  Protestant,  but 
wrote  with  a  fairness  that  deserves  commendation.  His 
works  are  numerous,  and  on  a  variety  of  subjects.  In  his 
commentary  on  the  first  epistle  of  Peter,  this  wise  Dutch- 
man thus  sagely  remarks : 

"  Concerning  Babylon,  the  ancient  and  modern  commentators  disa- 
gree. The  ancients  understand  Rome,  where  no  true  Christian  will  deny 
that  Peter  lived.  The  modern  Interpreters  think  that  Babylon,  in 
Chaldea,  is  meant.    I  am  on  the  side  of  the  ancients." 

In  our  next  we  will  see  what  Cleihent  has  had  to  say  on 

the  subject. 


CHAPTER  XLVIL 


clement. 


The  name  of  Clement  is  a  celebrated  one  in  the  annals 
of  the  Catholic  Church.  No  fewer  than  fourteen  popes 
have,  up  to  the  present  time,  been  known  by  that  title.  It 
is  of  the  first  of  these  w^e  intend  to  speak  in  the  present 
chapter.  He  was  born  in  Rome  about  the  j^ear  thirty  of 
our  era,  lived  to  the  ripe  old  age  of  seventy,  and  died  e 
martyr  for  the  faith.  . 

This  Clement  of  whom  we  are  speaking,  was  for  some 
time  a  companion  of  St.  Paul  ;  and,  it  is  of  him  the  Apos- 
tle speaks  in  his  epistle  to  the  Philippians  in  the  following 
words : 

**  I  pray  thee  also,  my  sincere  companion,  help  those  women  who  have 
labored  with  me  in  the  gospel  with  Clement,  *  ♦  *  whose  names  are 
in  the  book  of  life." 

Let  the  reader,  then,  bear  in  mind  what  were  the  relations 
of  Clement  with  St.  Paul.  He  was  the  Apostle's  compan- 
ion, and  consequently  had  an  excellent  opportunity  of  know- 


ALETHAUKION.  205 

inff  somethino:  about  him.  Primitive  traditions  assure  us 
that  this  same  Clement  was  ordained  priest  by  St.  Peter, 
whom  he  succeeded  as  fourth  pope  of  Rome. 

These  matters  being  well  understood,  we  come  to  a  fact 
in  his  life  which  has  a  bearing  on  that  question  of  which  we 
have  been  treating,  viz  :  the  coming  of  Peter  to  Rome. 

Towards  the  close  of  Clement's  pontificate,  or  about  the 
year  96,  there  rose  quite  a  contention,  about  something  or 
another,  among  the  faithful  of  Corinth,  in  Greece.  As  is 
usual,  in  all  Church  disputes  the  contending  factions  han- 
dled one  another  without  gloves.  Finally,  the  wise  counsels 
of  some  peace-makers  prevailed,  and  the  whole  matter  in 
dispute  was  referred  for  settlement  to  the  Pope.  Ancient 
writers  do  not  tell  us  what  the  trouble  among  those  Co- 
rinthians was  about ;  and,  in  all  probability,  it  was  not  very 
clear  to  themselves.  We  know  that  there  was  a  schism  or  a 
split  in  the  Church,  but  the  causes  that  gave  rise  to  it,  we 
have  no  means  of  discovering. 

However,  it  may  not  be  uninteresting  that  we  give  vent  ta 
some  speculations  on  the  subject.  We  have  only  to  bear  in 
mind  that,  at  the  period.of  which  we  are  speaking,  that  is, 
about  one  hundred  years  after  the  birth  of  Christ,  Corinth 
was  a  very  large  and  powerful  city,  its  position  being  fa- 
vorable from  a  commercial  point  of  view. 

Hence,  its  population  was  of  that  nondescript,  which  is 
found  in  all  large  cities  of  recent  growth.  We  say  recent, 
for  though  Corinth  was  one  of  the  most  ancient  cities  of 
Greece,  yet,  that  of  which  we  are  now  speaking  only  went 
back  to  the  time  of  Julius  C^sar,  some  fifty  years  before 
Christ. 

The  Roman  Consul,  Mu3niius,  had,  about  one  hundred 
years  before,  entirely  wiped  out  the  historic  Corinth,  by 
butchering  its  adult  male  inhabitants  and  selling  its  women 
and  children  into  slavery.  The  place  remained  desolate  for 
the  period  of  one  hundred  years,  when  it  was  again  colonized 
by  JLT.IUS  Cesar.     Its  population,  therefore,  was  made  up 


206  ALETHAURION. 

of  the  descendants  of  those  old  Romans,  of  Greeks  who  had 
ijeen  drawn  from  the  surroundingcountry,and  of  a  medley 
of  Western  barbarians  and  Oriental  slaves. 

The  descendants  of  the  Romans  assumed  an  air  of  supe- 
riority over  the  others,  and  were  fond  of  throwing  into 
relief  the  relations  their  ancestors  bore  to  so  great  a  man  as 
C^SAR.  Nor  would  it  have  served  any  good  purpose,  at  so 
late  a  day,  to  have  intimated  that  C^sar  got  recruits  for  his 
band  of  colonists,  principally  from  the  prisons  and  work- 
houses  of  the  great  city. 

At  the  time  of  which  we  are  speaking  these  different  races 
had  not  as  yet  merged  into  one  people.  Each  retained,  in  a 
great  measure,  its  own  peculiarities,  and,  as  far  as  practic- 
able, a  dislike  and  hatred  of  all  who  were  not  of  their  party. 
The  very  same  may  be  observed  even  to-day,  in  many  of  the 
Oriental  cities  where  Turks,  Greeks,  Armenians,  Syrians, 
&c.,  live  for  years  together,  even  for  centuries,  and  still  re- 
tain within. the  same  city  walls,  all  their  national  peculiari- 
ties and  antipathies.  And  the  spirit  may  be  found  to  some 
extent  even  here  in  America. 

With  this  explanation,  it  will  not  be  difficult  to  make  at 
least  a  prudent  guess  as  to  what  the  trouble  was.  St.  Peter, 
St.  Paul,  and  others  of  the  early  Evangelists,  had  made 
proselytes  to  Christianity  from  the  various  classes  of  which 
we  have  been  speaking. 

But,  though  all  these  might  have  agreed  in  their  belief, 
yet  it  is  but  fair  to  suppose  that  many  still  retained  their 
national  prejudices,  and  that  each  clan  had  its  favorite  pres- 
byters and  ministers.  Indeed  we  have  some  pretty  strong 
evidence  of  this  in  Paul's  first  Epistle  to  the  Corinthians, 
where  he  finds  fault  with  them  because  some  were  for  one 
minister  and  some  for  another. 

Those  from  Alexander,  originally,  who  had  settled  in 
Corinth,  lauded  their  own  man,  Apollo,  most  likely  because 
he  was   their   countryman.     Though   it   must  be   said   of 


ALETHAURION.  •  207 

Apollo,  that  he  certainly  deserved  all  the  praise  he  got, 
having  been  a  very  learned  and  eloquent  man. 

Those  who  came  from  the  neighborhood  of  TIrsus,  were 
of  course,  proud  of  the  wisdom  and  genius  of  Paul  him- 
self ;  and  in  this  their  judgment  succeeding  generations  have 
with  singular  unanimity  concurred. 

Others  again  who  might  have  come  from  Galilee,  stood  up 
for  Cephas,  because  he  was  a  Galilean.  Such  indeed,  was 
the  spirit  in  Corinth.  Neither  party  would  give  in  to  the 
other. 

The  Apostles,  of  course,  disapproved  of  such  doings.  Yet 
like  wise  men,  they  did  not  undertake  to  uproot  that  feeling 
of  partiality  which  each  of  these  classes  had  for  its  own 
country  and  countrymen.  They  knew  that  the  Saviour  had 
sent  them  to  uproot  vice  and  not  patriotism. 

They  made  presbyters  in  almost  all  the  large  towns  they 
had  passed  through,  and  took  these  from  the  people  in  each 
place,  giving  Greek  priests  to  Greek  people,  Syrian  priests 
to  Syrian  people,  &c.  The  Apostles  were,  themselves,  as  a 
matter  of  course,  entirely  unprejudiced  on  matters  apper- 
taining to  race  and  nationality  ;  but  they  knew  at  the  same 
time  that  the  various  people  they  had  to  deal  with  were 
not  so. 

Hence,  when  an  Athenian  gloried  in  the  eloquence  of 
DexMOSTHexes,  the  versatillity  of  Themistocles  or  the 
bravery  of  Miltiades,  they  did  not  snub  him  for  his  patriot- 
ism ;  but  showed  him  that  there  was  one  more  deserving  of 
his  esteem  and  his  love  than  any  hero  Greece  had  ever  pro- 
duced. 

Such  was  the  condition  of  affairs  at  Corinth  in  the  days 
of  St.  Paul  ;  and  that  it  was  not  much  improved  some  forty 
or  fifty  years  later,  we  learn  from  the  letter  of  Pope 
Cle3iext  to  those  same  Corinthians. 

In  the  opening  chapters  he  speaks  of  the  evils  of  emula- 
tion and  contention  among  brethren,  and  introduces  various 
examples  from  the  Old  Testament.     Then  in  chapter  v,  he 


208  .  ALETHAURION. 

tells  of  what  the  Apostles,  especially  Peter  and  Paul  had 
suffered  on  account  of  envy  and  jealousy  ;  and  in  chapter  vi, 
still  speaking  of  those  two  Apostles,  he  used  these  words  : 
*'  They  were  in  our  midst ^  a  most  beautiful  example." 

Here,  then,  we  have  Clement,  the  companion  of  St. 
Paul,  the  intimate  friend  of  St.  Peter,  wTitingfrom  Rome, 
only  about  thirty  years  after  their  death  ;  and  declaring 
that  both  of  them  were  examples  among  us,  i.  e.,  evidently 
among  us  Romans.  Who  then,  after  such  testimony,  can 
deny  that  Peter  came  to  Rome  ? 

In  our  next  text  we  will  see  what  Ignatius  has  to  say  on 
the  subject. 


CHAPTER  XLVIII. 


IGNATIUS. 


There  are  three  of  this  name,  celebrated  in  Church  his- 
tory. The  first  was  bishop  of  Antioch,  and  was  devoured 
by  wild  beasts  in  the  Flavian  amphitheater  at  Rome,  in  the 
year  107  of  our  era. 

The  second  was  patriarch  of  Constantinople  at  the  time 
Photius  drew  the  Greeks  from  the  Latin  Church.  He  died 
A.  D.  8Y8. 

The  third  was  Ignatius  of  Loyola,  the  founder  of  the 
Jesuits  ;  born  in  Spain  in  1491,  died  in  Rome  in  1556. 

It  is  of  the  first  of  these  we  mean  to  speak. 

Ignatius  was,  after  the  Apostles,  one  of  the  most  cele- 
brated bishops  of  antiquity.  The  first  mention  of  him 
occurs  in  verse  2d,  chapter  xviii  of  Matthew's  gospel.  It  is 
there  stated  that,  when  the  Disciples  had  quarreled  among 
themselves,  as  to  which  of  them  should  be  the  greatest, 
the  Saviour  called  a  little  child,  and,  placing  him  in  the 
midst  of  them,  said  : 

"  Unless  you  be  converted  and  become  as  little  children  you  shall  not 
enter  the  kingdom  of  Heaven/' 


ALEIHAUKION.  209 

This  was  to  teach  them  not  to  be  looking  for  the  honors 
of  this  world,  but  rather  to  cultivate  that  simplicity  of  heart, 
by  which  one  becomes  truly  great  in  the  kingdom  of  Cheist 
here,  and  that  of  His  Father  hereafter. 

There  is  a  sect  somewhere  *'  down  East,"  the  members  of 
which  interpret  in  the  literal  sense  the  text  we  have  given. 
Instead  of  going  to  the  expense  of  putting  up  churches, 
paying  preachers,  sextons,  singers,  &c.,  as  is  done  among 
other  denominations,  these  primitive  Christians  buy  a  level 
lot,  at  a  convenient  distance  from  town,  put  up  a  high  board 
fence  around  it,  being  careful  to  strip  the  joinings  and 
other  apertures.  Here  they  meet  on  Sundays.  The  old 
men  appear  in  knickerbockers  and  take  exercise  on  broom- 
sticks, which  they  call  horses,  the  women  wear  short  dresses 
like  children ,  and  devote  great  attention  to  dolls  and  other 
infantile  playthings. 

Little  pools  of  water  are  made,  here  and  there,  through- 
out the  inclosure,  and  the  services  are  generally  brought  to 
an  end  by  some  one  falling,  either  by  accident  or  design, 
into  one  of  these  puddles.  Word  is  then  passed  around 
that  **  Billy  Brown  fell  in  the  mud,"  and  all  rush  to  the 
spot  and  set  up  a  laugh.  Finally  his  little  sister  gets  excit- 
ed and  says  .  **I  am  going  to  tell  on  you  !"  Then  Billy 
gets  up,  and,  makes  a  race  for  home,  to  tell  his  own  story 
tirst. 

This  is  one  of  the  most  interesting  parts  of  the  service, 
as  only  a  corpulent  brother,  and  a  two  hundred  pound  sister 
are  considered  fit  to  lead  in  it.  Each  must  fall  down,  at 
least  twice,  before  getting  to  the  house.  The  rest  follow, 
clapping  their  hands  ;  some  shouting,  *'  run  Billy" — others, 
"  go  it  Sally — stick  to  it  old  lassy — go  for  him  !" 

For  the  coming  few  days  little  else  is  talked  of  among 
those  deluded  people  but  Billy  Brown's  eloquent  sermon. 
And  thus  the  world  wags.  Into  these  and  kindred  vagaries 
do  men  run  who  have  not  the  light  of  faith  to  direct  their 
steps. 


210  AT.ETHAUR  ION . 

But  let  us  return  to  Ignatius.  Ancient  tradition  assures 
us  that  the  little  child  placed  in  the  midst  of  the  Apostles 
was  no  other  than  he,  of  whom  we  are  speaking.  After 
having  arrived  at  the  years  of  discretion,  he  became  the 
disciple  of  St.  John  the  Evangelist,  and  was  ordained  by 
St.  Peter  ;  to  whom,  after  the  death  of  EvoDius,  he  suc- 
ceeded as  bishop  of  Antioch. 

So  great  had  been  his  success  in  gaining  souls  to  Christ 
that  he  excited  the  envy  of  the  Pagans  and  Jews  of  Antioch  ; 
who  only  awaited  a  favorable  opportunity  to  call  for  his 
death,  or  banishment  from  the  city.  This  was  afforded 
them  by  a  visit  from  the  emperor,  as  he  was  on  his  way  to 
make  war  on  the  Partheans  and  Armenians. 

The  venerable  old  man  was  dragged  before  the  Pagan 
tribunal,  commanded  to  sacrifice  to  the  gods,  which  he,  of 
course,  refused  to  do.  Trajan,  who  was  of  a  humane 
disposition  of  mind,  desired  to  spare  the  life  of  his  vener- 
ble  prisoner,  but  the  Pagan  populace  clamored  for  his  blood, 
and  he  at  length  yielded.  This  was  as  might  have  been 
expected.  For  when  was  a  Roman  emperor  ever  known  to 
sacrifice  his  popularity,  or  even  risk  it,  for  a  Christian, 
however  innocent.  That  standing  up  for  right,  and  not 
allowing  the  innocent  to  suffer,  is  a  characteristic  of  Chris- 
tian, not  of  Pagan  Rome. 

Ignatius  was  condemned  to  be  devoured  by  wild  beasts  in 
the  Coliseum.  Trajan,  having  thus  quieted  the  Pagans  of 
Antioch  and  gained  their  good  will,  thought  no  more  of  this 
old  man. 

After  sentence  has  been  passed,  Ignatius  was  taken  in 
charge  of  by  the  authorities,  and  preparations  made  for 
sending  him  to  the  great  city.  A  company,  made  up  of  the 
most  abandoned  and  immoral  troopers  to  be  found  in  the 
whole  army,  was  organized  for  this  special  purpose.  It 
was  feared  that  if  ordinary  soldiers  were  taken,  Ignatius 
would  convert  them  before  they  had  reached  Rome.     The 


ALETHAURION.  211 

consequence  was  that  things  were  made  as  unpleasant  as 
possible  for  him  on  his  way  to  death. 

When  he  had  arrived  at  Smyrna,  where  Polycaep,  the 
disciple  of  St.  John,  was  bishop,  he  wrote  four  letters: 
one  to  the  faithful  of  Ephesus,  another  to  the  Chruch  at 
Magnesia,  a  third  to  the  Christians  of  Tralles,  and  a  fourth 
to  the  Romans.  After  having  left  Smyrna,  he  wrote  a  let- 
ter to  the  faithful  there  ;  another  to  the  Philadelphians,  and 
one  to  Polycaep  himself.  The  genuinity  of  these  epistles 
has  always  been  admitted  by  Catholic  writers,  and  by 
Protestants  of  any  name  ;  nor  was  it  until  the  seventeenth 
century  that  some  scribblers  began  to  question,  even  to 
deny  they  are  his. 

St.  Ignatius,  in  those  epistles,  speaks  in  a  very  clear  and 
distinct  way  of  the  real  presence;  of  the  sacrament  of 
matrimony ;  of  the  divine  institution  of  the  ecclesiastical 
hierarchy,  and  of  other  matters  which,  to  heretics,  are  diffi- 
cult of  digestion.  Hence,  they  thought  it  much  easier  to 
say  the  letters  were  spurious  than  to  contend  against  the 
authority  of  such  a  man  as  Ignatius. 

We  need  not  trouble  ourselves  to  refute  these,  since  the 
Anglican  bishop,  Pearson,  has  done  it  for  us.  When 
heretics  contend  with  one  another,  we  stand  aside  and  enjoy 
the  sport,  as  we  would  an  encounter  of  rams.  It  must  be 
said  of  Pearson,  that  he  certainly  succeeded  in  butting  his 
adversaries  outside  the  ropes,  for  which  we  give  him  credit 
and  thanks. 

Isaac  Voss,  a  Holland  Dutchman,  and  for-a  time  profes- 
sor in  the  University  of  Oxford,  was  of  opinion  that  there 
is  sufficient  intrinsic  evidence  to  prove  they  are  genuine. 

The  best  work,  however,  on  the  subject  is  that  of  Profes- 
sor Ne^t:,  of  the  University  of  Louvain.  In  this,  the 
learned  doctor  establishes,  beyond  all  cavil,  the  genuinity 
of  the  letters. 

Since  these  things  are  so,  let  us  bring  all  we  have  said  to 
bear  upon  the  point  at  which  we  are  aiming,  viz  :  that  Peter 


212  ALETHAURION. 

came  to  Rome.     Towards  the  end  of  chapter  iv,  of  his 

epistle  to  the  Romans,  Ignatius  uses  these  words : 

^'I  do  not  give  you  precepts,  as  did  Sts.  Peter  and  Paul;  they  were 
Apostles  of  Jesus  Christ.    I  am  the  least  of  all." 

From  this  it  will  be  seen  that,  not  only  St.  Paul,  but 
also  St.  Peter  taught  the  Romans,  and  we  may  justly  infer 
that  they  came  on  the  spot  to  do  it. 

In  our  next  we  will  continue  about  Ignatius,  and  give 
some  facts  about  the  Coliseum,  where  he  was  martyred,  and 
of  the  Church  of  St.  Clement,  where  his  remains  now  are. 


CHAPTER  XLIX. 


LET  LOOSE   THE   LIONS. 


In  the  last  chapter  we  spoke  of  the  letter  of  Ignatius  to 
the  Romans,  in  which  he  refers  to  the  fact  that  they  had 
been  instructed  in  the  faith  by  the  Apostles  Peter  and 
Paul.  But  he  only  alludes  to  it,  just  as  any  Catholic 
bishop  of  the  present  day,  in  writing  a  letter  of  congratula- 
tion, or  of  thanks  for  some  favor  received,  to  the  faithful 
of  Baltimore,  for  example,  might  speak  of  the  circumstance 
that  they  had  been  blessed  by  the  preaching  and  example  of 
the  sainted  Archbishop  Carroll. 

Ignatius  refers  to  a  fact  that  was  well  known  to  the 
Romans,  but  does  not  undertake  to  prove  it,  for  it  would 
have  been  as  needless  in  him  to  have  done  so,  as  it  would 
be  in  the  writer  to  set  to  work  and  prove  that  U.  S.  Grant 
was  elected  President  of  the  United  States  some  eight  years 
ago,  and  that  when  his  term  of  office  had  expired,  he  was 
again  returned  to  the  White  House. 

Cotemporary  writers  who  are  not  professed  chroniclers, 
scarcely  ever  more  than  allude  to  a  fact  which  all  are  pre- 
sumed to  know. 

Now,  before  passing  on  to  give  the  testimony  of  Papias, 


ALETHAURION.  213 

and  of  others,  it  may  not  be  altogether  devoid  of  interest, 
nor  unacceptable,  that  we  continue  the  history  of  that  holy 
old  soldier  of  the  faith,  of  whom  we  have  been  speaking. 
On  the  way  from  Antioch  to  Rome,  he  complains  in  his 
letter,  of  the  rough  treatment  he  experienced  at  the  hands 
of  the  soldiers  who  composed  his  guard.  *'The  more  kindly 
I  treat  them,"  says  he,  *'the  worse  they  get." 

This  gloating  over  the  sufferings  of  bishops,  priests  and 
other  confessors  of  the  faith,  which  is  often  observable  in 
Pagans  and  heretics,  cannot  well  be  accounted  for  on  any 
other  hypothesis  than  by  admitting  the  secret  influence  of 
the  devil,  who  hates  Christ,  and,  consequently  his  servants 
also.  We,  Catholics,  do  not  abuse  and  malign  heretics  and 
infidels,  in  those  places  where  we  are  in  the  majority.  On 
the  contrary,  we  accord  them  every  liberty  we  claim  for 
ourselves.  We  respect  conscience,  even  in  those  cases 
where  we  may  have  good  reason  to  suppose  that  it  is  simply 
seared,  and  does  not  act  at  all.  We  leave  the  judgment  of 
our  fellow-beings  to  God,  to  whom  it  rightly  belongs.  In 
Austria,  where  Catholics  are  vastly  in  the  majority,  the  her- 
etics have  their  own  schools,  supported  by  the  government, 
just  as  those  of  the  faithful  are.  In  France,  the  same  way. 
Even  in  the  Catholic  parts  of  Canada  the- heretics  enjoy  the 
same  privileges  that  the  others  do.  When  a  Catholic  gentle- 
man has  a  servant  who  is  a  heretic,  he  does  not  abuse  him, 
nor  attempt  to  be  witty  by  saying  that  only  Infidels,  Protest- 
ants and  dogs  eat  meat  on  Friday. 

This  charity  of  Catholics  towards  unbelievers  is,  to  the 
mind  of  the  writer,  one  of  the  best  proofs  that  the  spirit  of 
Christ  is  in  His  Church.  Now,  take  a  brief  view  of  the 
other  side  of  the  question. 

Look  at  Prussia,  an  Infidel,  or  Protestant  government,  it 
would  be  hard  to  say  which,  persecuting  Catholics  in  every 
way  that  the  spirit  of  the  age  can  permit.  Look  at  Russia 
whose  career  for  the  past  one  hundred  and  fifty  years  has 
been  one  of  persecution. 


214  ALETHAUBION. 

To  come  down  to  individuals  :  is  there  a  Catholic,  who  has 
lived  for  a  time  among  heretics,  that  does  not  know  that 
they  are  continually  harping  on  the  Pope,  on  bishops, 
priests,  nuns,  etc. 

Moreover,  it  is  a  well  known  fact  that,  when  a  Catholic 
runs  for  office,  the  heterodox  will  not  vote  for  him,  simply 
and  solely  because  he  is  a  Catholic. 

We  may  look  upon  these  facts  as  demonstrating  that  the 
spirit  of  the  devil,  which  is  that  of  hate,  directs  the  head 
and  heart  of  the  unbeliever,  when  he  has  the  true  Church 
under  consideration.  This  spirit  burned  in  the  breasts  of 
the  Pagans  of  old,  and  it  bums  in  the  breasts  of  the  heretics 
now.  **You  shall  be  hated  by  all  men,  for  my  name 
sake,"  (Matt,  x,  22),  said  the  Saviour  to  His  Apostles. 

After  a  long  and  painful  voyage,  Ignatius  at  last  ar- 
rived at  the  mouth  of  the  Tiber,  where  there  was  then  a 
town  called  Ostia.  He  was  not  permitted  to  rest  there 
long,  but  was  hurried  on  to  the  city  that  very  day.  It  was 
the  20th  of  December. 

News  of  his -arrival  at  the  port  had  gone  before  him  to 
Rome,  and  great  numbers  of  the  faithful  came  out  to  meet 
him,  and  get  his  blessing.  This  greeting  is  said  to  have 
taken  place  on,  or  near,  the  spot  where  the  Church  of  St. 
Paul  now  stands.  Ignatius  besought  those  good  people  not 
to  pray  for  his  deliverance,  but  rather  allow  him  to  receive 
that  crown  of  martyrdom  for  which  he  had  sighed  and 
prayed  for  years. 

As  soon  as  he  had  passed  within  the  walls,  the  Coliseum 
met  his  gaze,  and  the  confused  shouts  of  the  multitude, 
mingled  with  the  roaring  of  wild  beasts,  might  have  terrified 
any  other  than  the  true  Catholic  hero  that  he  was.  The 
last,  but  one,  of  a  batch  of  gladiators  had  just  fallen  in  the 
arena,  and  the  shouts  which  he  heard  were  the  praises  of 
the  spectators  given  to  the  conqueror. 

A  dead  silence  came  over  the  multitude  as  the  captain  of 
the  military  company  that  had  him  in  charge,  led  Ignatius 


ALETHAUEION.  215 

through  the  eastern  gate  to  the  center  of  the  arena,  and 
thence,  at  right  angles,  to  the  imiDerial  pavilion.  The  em- 
peror was  absent ;  but  the  prefect  of  the  city  held  his  place. 
Blood-thirsty  monster  as  he  was,  the  prefect  was  yet  moved 
with  pity  on  beholding  so  aged  and  venerable  a  man  about 
to  be  made  the  food  of  ferocious  beasts.  He  invited  Igna- 
tius to  sacrifice  to  the  gods  and  save  his  life.  But  the  old 
soldier  of  the  cross  answered  with  the  independence  and 
freedom  that  became  a  Catholic,  insomuch  that  his  frank- 
ness displeased  the  servant  of  his  majesty,  the  emperor. 

The  Pagan  horde,  accustomed  to  fawn  upon  those  in 
power,  seeing  not  only  the  prefect,  but  the  gods  of  Rome 
set  at  defiance,  cried  out  as  with  one  voice,  **  Let  loose  the 
lions  !^^ 

Ignatius  was  again  conducted  to  the  center  of  the  arena 
where  he  knelt  in  prayer.  The  grating  of  the  heavy  iron 
gates  was  heard,  and  two  Numidian  lions  bounded  from 
their  den.  A  few  moments  more,  and  the  soul  of  Ignatius 
had  sped  on  its  way  to  the  realms  of  eternal  bliss. 

With  a  sign  from  the  prefect,  the  games  were  declared 
closed,  and  the  multitude  dispersed.  That  night,  Tvhat  re- 
mained of  the  martyr's  bones  were  collected  by  a  few  faith- 
ful brethren  and  taken  to  the  house  of  Cleiment,  not  far 
from  the  Coliseum.     From   thence  thev  were  brouorht  to 

o 

Antioch,  and  buried  outside  of  Porta  Daphnitica,  or  gate  of 
Daphne. 

In  the'  days  of  the  Emperor  Heraclius  they  were  again 
transferred  back  to  Rome  and  placed  in  the  Church  of  St. 
Clement. 

During  the  incursions  of  the  barbarians  this  Church  had 
gone  to  ruin,  and  remained  so  until  the  twelfth  century, 
when  a  new  one,  which  remains  to  this  day,  was  erected  on 
the  site. 

Not  many  years  ago,  Father  Mulooly,  prior  of  the  Irish 
Dominicans,  who  have  charge  of  it,  made  excavations,  and 
laid  open  to  the  eyes  of  men  of  the  nineteenth  century  sotne 


216  ALETHAUBION. 

of  the  practices  of  the  Church  in  the  fourth.  The  frescoes, 
or  paintings  on  the  old  walls,  show  priests  and  deacons 
dressed  as  they  are  to-day  when  sa}ing  mass.  The  inscrip- 
tions are  also  in  accordance  with  our  present  belief.  Many 
of  the  more  intelligent  Protestants  have  been  converted  by 
those  painted  sermons  on  the  walls. 

During  the  excavations,  the  relics  of  Ignatius  were  also 
discovered,  and  were  borne  in  solemn  procession  to  the  arena 
of  the  Coliseum,  and  placed,  for  a  short  time,  on  the  spot 
where,  nearly  eighteen  centuries  ago,  he  gave  testimony,  and 
shed  his  blood  for  the  faith. 

The  writer  had  the  honor  of  taking  part  in  that  procession. 
But  time  had  wrought  changes — the  Coliseum  in  ruins — the 
cross  in  the  center  of  its  arena — C^sar  only  a  name — the 
Galilean  has  conquered — and  thus  it  will  ever  be. 

Our  next  will  be  about  Papias. 


CHAPTER  L. 


PAPIAS. 


In  chapter  xxix  we  had  occasion  to  speak  of  Papias,  and 
of  the  millennium,  with  which  his  name  has  become  insepa- 
rably connected.  We  introduce  him  here  again,  as  one  of 
those  cotemporary  writers,  who  speak  of  the  coming  of  St. 
Peter  to  Rome. 

Paplvs  was  bishop  of  Hierapolis,  a  city  of  Phrgyia,  in 
Asia  Minor,  and  having  died  at  an  advanced  age,  in  the  year 
118,  he  may  be  regarded  as  coeval  with  the  Apostles.  It  is 
highly  probable,  however,  that  he  did  not,  himself,  see  nor 
converse  with  any  of  them. 

EusEBius,  bishop  of  Cesarea,  in  Palestine,  surnamed  the 
Father  of  Church  History ,  speaks,  in  a  part  of  his  works, 
in  terms  by  no  means  flattering  of  the  mental  capacity  of 
Papias.     He  calls  him  a  man  of  very  little  head. 


ALETHAURION.  217 

Such  au  expressiou  does  not  comport  very  well  with  our 
ideas  of  a  bishop,  especiaUy  in  those  primitive  times,  when 
the  h)est  and  most  intelligent  were  usually  raised  to  that 
office.  There  was  but  little  earthly  fame  or  gain  attached  to 
the  mitre  in  those  days,  and  the  unworthy,  who,  under  more 
favorable  circumstances,  might  have  aspired  to  it,  were  will- 
ing then,  that  good  apostolic  little  men,  like  Papias,  should 
have  all  the  glory  as  well  as  the  troubles  and  dangers  con- 
nected with  it. 

Hence,  the  vast  majority  of  the  bishops  of  the  early 
Church  were,  not  only  of  great  sanctity,  but  also  of  intel- 
lectual endowments  far  above  the  average. 

The  system  of  electing  bishops  by  the  presbyters  and 
people  prevailed  in  those  days  ;  and  that  also  may  account 
for  the  fact  that  the  best  that  could  be  found  were  taken  to 
preside  over  the  Church.  When  we  speak  here  of  the 
election  of  bishops  by  the  people,  we  must  not  be  under- 
stood as  using  the  word  in  the  sense  that  the  Campbellites 
and  Baptists  of  the  present  day  employ  it. 

They  elect  their  preachers  it  is  true,  but,  in  the  Church 
of  Christ  something  else  must  come  after  the  election  to 
office,  in  order  that  a  man  may  be  really  a  minister,  in  the 
apostolic  sense  of  the  word  ;  and,  it  is  precisely  this  some- 
thing else,  viz :  orders  and  jurisdiction^  which  neither  the 
Baptists,  Campbellites,  nor  any  other  heretical  sect,  is  able 
to  give.  Seeing  then  that  great  care  and  vigilance  were 
made  use  of,  in  the  early  days  of  the  Church,  in  the  matter 
of  promoting  men  to  bishoprics,  we  may  well  wonder,  if  the 
testimony  of  Eusebius  be  true,  how  such  a  man  aS  Papias 
got  into  a  mitre. 

The  writer  is  disposed  to  think,  that  the  words  of  the 
historian,  {ingenii  quidem  pertenuis)  spoken  of  Papias, 
must  not  be  taken  in  the  strict  and  literal  sense.  In  fact, 
EusEBius,  in  another  part  of  his  history,  speaks  of  Papias 
in  terms  of  the  greatest  praise.     He  calls  him  a  very  learned 


218  ALETHAURION. 

man,    and    most    skillful  in  the   scriptures.     (Book  III, 
c.  36.) 

St.  Jerome  also,  in  his  71st  Epistle,  which  is  to  Licixius, 
excuses  himself  for  not  translatinsr  the  works  of  Papias 
into  Latin,  by  saying  that  he  had  not  the  time  nor  the 
ability  to  do  justice,  in  a  translation,  to  the  original. 

Seeing  then  that  our  friend  is  .called,  in  one  place,  an 
imbecile,  almost,  and  in  another,  a  learned  man  and  an  ele- 
gant writer,  that  the  reader  may  not  conceive  a  wrong  idea 
of  St.  elERO^iE,  and  Eusebius  too,  we  propose  giving  our 
own  opinion  about  Papias,  and  lettiiig  it  stand  for  what  it 
is  worth. 

To  begin  :  let  it  be  remembered  that,  to  render  a  true 
judgment  on  the  merits  of  another,  is  a  most  difficult  under- 
taking. Most  of  the  judgments  that  men  make  about  each 
other  are  entirely  wrong  ;  and  if ,  in  some  cases,  they  turn 
out  correct  it  is  only  after  the  fact  that  the  judges  become 
thoroughly  persuaded  of  their  own  sharpness  and  foresight. 
Hence  the  highest  Wisdom  has  said  ^^  judge  not.''' 

Not  alone  an  intimate  knowledge  of  a  man's  daily  life  is 
required  when  he  is  put  in  the  balance,  but  also  freedom 
from  prejudice,  and  genius  of  the  highest  kind,  in  him  who 
makes  the  estimate. 

Alexander  Pope,  the  poet,  said,  that  Shakspeare's 
writings  were  the  finest  specimens  of  the  bombastic.  If  he 
had  seen  Haivilet,  as  punctuated  by  Barry  Sullivan,  or 
Edwin  Booth,  probably  he  would  have  changed  his  mind. 

Some  of  the  writings  of  Goldsmith  were  frightfully  cut 
up  by  critics,  who  could  not  have  done  as  well. 

Byron  was  very  roughly  handled  by  Jeffrey,  a  man  who 
U^ver  wrote  a  line  of  poetry  in  his  life,  fit  for  any  one  to 
read. 

After  the  battle  of  Wagram,  a  former  professor  in  a 
French  military  academy,  a  friend  of  the  Bourbon  dynasty, 
wrote  a  book  in  which  he  proved,  to  his  own  satisfaction, 
that  Napoleon  did  not  know  much  about  the  real  science  of 


ALETHAUBION.  219 

war  ;  and  that  his  victories  were  principally  owing  to  chance. 
The  pedagogue  sent  a  copy  of  this  book  to  the  Archduke 
Charles,  who  was  next  to  Bonaparte,  one  of  the  best  gen- 
erals of  those  times.  The  Archduke  read  it  with  much  sat- 
isfaction, and  remarked  to  a  friend,  when  through  : 

"  I  can  find  no  fault  in  the  logic  of  this  book,  everthing  appears  well 
thought  out,  and  the  observations  of  the  author  seem  to  be  entirely  just 
and  proper.  Yet,"  said  his  grace,  in  conclusion.  ''  of  one  thing  I  am 
certain,  that  if  the  writer  of  this  book  had  to  lead  an  army  against  Xapo- 
LEOx  as  I  did  at  Aspern,  Esling  and  Wagram,  he  would  very  soon  dis- 
cover a  flaw  in  his  logic,  and  confusion  in  his  ranks." 

Thus  are  the  judgments  of  men  warped,  sometimes  by 
ignorance  of  those  they  have  under  consideration,  oftener 
by  the  hatred,  envy,  jealousy  or  incapacity  of  the  judge 
himself. 

With  these  'observations,  let  us  again  return  to  Papias. 
He  collected  all  the  oral  traditions  that  were  afloat  in  his^ 
day  concerning  the  Saviour  and  his  Apostles.  These  he  put 
in  book  form  and  called  it  '*  An  exposition  of  the  discourses 
of  our  Lord."  It  is  to  be  regretted  that  only  a  few  frag- 
ments of  this  work  remain,  preserved   in  the   writings  of 

EUSEBIUS. 

Now,  as  Papias  was,  confessedly,  a  learned,  pious  and 
zealous  bishop,  a  firm  believer  in  the  divinity  of  Christ, 
which  he,  no  doubt,  put  forward  in  a  very  clear  way  in  his 
book,  does  it  not  look  natural  enough  that  Eusebius,  wha 
was  tainted  with  Arianissm,  should  in  his  history,  have  at- 
tempted to  set  aside  the  testimony  of  such  a  man,  by  calling 
him  a  credulous  blockhead.  This  looks  natural.  For  men 
of  schismatical  or  heretical  proclivities  have  a  great  talent 
for  covering  up  the  truth  ;  or  inserting  in  its  stead,  their 
own  imaginings. 

Let  us  now  listen  to  what  our  friend  has  to  say.  Eusebius, 
book  II,  chap.  15,  thus  introduces  him  : 

'•To  whom  also  we  may  add  Papias,  the  bishop  of  Hierapolis.  He 
affirms  that  mention  is  made  of  Mark  by  Peter,  in  his  first  epistle, 
which  epistle  he  contends  was  written  in  Rome,  and  that  Peter  himself 
insinuates  as  much  by  calling  Rome,  in  a  figurative  sense,  Babylon." 


220  .     ALETHAURION. 

Thus  for  Papias — and  in  justice  to  truth,  it  must  be  said 
that  he  is  the  only  cotemporary  writer  that  mentions,  in  ex- 
press words,  that  Peter  was  in  Rome.  Clemext  and  Igna- 
tius merely  allude  to  the  fact  without  stating  it  in  so  many 
words. 

Our  next  will  contain  the  testimony  of  Caius. 


CHAPTER  LI. 


CAIUS. 


Caius  or.  Guy,  was  one  of  the  commonest  names  among 
the  ancient  Romans.  It  comports  most  nearly  to  Sandy 
among  the  Scotch,  or  Hans  among  the  Dutch  at  the  present 
day. 

As  an  illustration  of  this  fact  we  may  mention  that,  after 
the  marriage  ceremony  in  those  times,  it  was  customary  for 
the  lady,  who  then  as  well  as  now,  is  presumed  to  have  the 
last  word  to  say  to  her  husband,  **  ubi  tu  Caius,  ego  Caia." 
That  is,  where  you  are  Caius,  I  will  be  Caia — where  you 
are  a  good  husband,  I  will  be  a  good  wife — where  you  are 
Hans,  I  will  be  Barbara. 

It  must  be  confessed  that,  in  a  country  like  this  we  live 
in,  where  the  young  ladies  are,  generally  speaking,  all  that 
ought  to  be  expected,  and  the  young  men  a  trifling  set,  as  a 
general  rule,  it  would  not  be  a  bad  idea,  after  the  marriage 
contract,  for  the  party  of  the  feminine  gender  to  say  to  her 
lord,  **  now  show  yourself  a  man.  a  husband,  and  I  will 
show  myself  a  womauy  a  wife."  The  great  trouble  in  our 
day,  especially  in  the  cities,  is  that  men  do  not  show  them- 
selves husbands.  They  are  in  the  saloons  when  they  ought 
to  be  at  home,  and  they  spend  for  grog  the  money  that 
ought  to  be  used  to  buy  clothes  and  shoes  for  their  brats. 
But  we  started  out  to  speak  of  things  that  occurred  long 


AJLETHAURION.  221 

ago,  and  here  we  are  moralizing  about  the  present.     Let  us 
begin  anew. 

Caius,  whose  name  stands  at  the  head  of  this  chapter, 
was  an  ancient  Koman  presbyter,  or  priest.  As  regards  his 
personal  history,  we  know  but  little,  beyond  the  fact  that 
he  was  a  man  of  great  zeal  and  a  champion  of  the  faith  in 
his  day  and  generation.  Had  it  not  been  for  the  Church 
historian,  Eusebius,  in  all  probability,  the  memory  of  the 
good  that  he  did,  would  long  since  have  been  interred  with 
his  bones.  We  may  judge,  however,  from  the  notices  of 
him  that  have  came  down  to  us,  that  he  was  considerable 
of  a  factor  in  the  Church,  and  that  he  gave  the  heretics  of 
his  time  many  a  vigorous  blow. 

Caius  was  the  father  of  To3i  Maguire  of  Rome.  He  ap- 
pears to  have  been  by  nature  a  soldier,  and  the  learning 
that  he  possessed  was  not  in  his  library,  but  in  his  head. 
**  I  fear  a  man  of  one  book,"  is  an  old  Spanish  proverb, 
and  it  contains  a  great  deal  of  wisdom  ;  but  the  man  who 
has  genuine  individuality  of  character  is  a  customer  more 
difficult  to  handle.  There  are  men,  who  if  asked  even  a  rea- 
sonably plain  question,  on  a  scientific  subject,  will  tell  you 
what  this  author,  that  one,  and  the  other  have  said,  but 
when  requested  to  give  their  own  judgment,  they  lack  the 
ability  to  do  so.  Such  men  are  like  truncated  cones  ;  they 
never  come  to  the  point,  and  consequently  do,  most  gener- 
ally, fail  in  whatever  they  undertake. 

Of  quite  a  contrary  character  was  our  friend  Caius.  He 
could,  with  great  rapidity,  look  through  a  complicated  mass 
of  facts  and  theories,  brush  aside  what  was  unimportant, 
and  concentrate  all  the  powers  of  his  mind  on  the  main 
issue.  This  faculty  for  sifting  things,  on  short  notice,  is 
really  a  gift,  and  when  possessed  in  an  eminent  degree, 
makes  its  owner  approximate,  in  a  manner,  to  the  angelic 
nature. 

'  Now,  at  the  time  of  which  we  are   speaking,  A.  D.  200- 
217,  during  the  pontificate  of  Pope   Zepherinus,  there  was 


222  ALETHAURION. 

a  set  of  heretics  in  Rome  that  went  by  the  name  of  Cata- 
phrigians.  They  formed  one  of  the  branches  of  the  Monta- 
nist  heresy,  and  bore  the  same  relation  to  Montanus,  the 
founder  of  the  sect,  that  the  Baptists,  Campbellites,  Metho- 
dists or  Mormons  of  the  present  day,  dotoIMARXixLuTHEK, 
the  founder  of  Protestantism. 

To  this  sect  belonged  Proculus,  a  person  who  had  all 
the  obstinacy  of  a  heresiarch,  along  with  the  cunning, 
trickery,  audacity  and  immorality  peculiar  to  the  same. 
He  had,  however,  a  ready  tongue,  and  some  learning.  By 
gping  around  challenging,  and  disputing  with  other  heretics, 
he  had  become  quite  notorious,  and  raised  as  much  dust  and 
noise  as  a  playful  pup  in  a  poultry-yard. 

The  Catholics  of  those  times,  as  of  our  own,  were  not 
much  given  to  such  contentions.  They  were  satisfied  to 
learn,  from  the  proper  authorities,  the  truths  of  the  faith, 
practice  them,  and  bring  up  their  children  in  the  hope  of 
immortality.  Such  mountebanks  as  Proculus,  were  not 
heeded,  for  they  well  knew  that  notoriety  was  what  he 
mostly  desired ;  and  it  would  only  be  adding  fuel  to  the 
flame,  to  have  noticed  him.  He  kept  on,  until  finally,  he 
ran  against  our  friend  Caius,  and  that  was  just  where  he 
made  his  greatest  mistake.  Caius  disputed  with  the  heretic, 
and  so  thoroughly  demolished  him,  that  he  took  the  gallop- 
ing consumption  and  shied  off,  in  obscurity,  to  the  Lethean 
shores. 

Though,  as  a  general  rule,  the  spirit  of  contention  with 
heretics  and  infidels  should  not  be  introduced  into,  nor  en- 
couraged in  the  Church ;  yet,  under  proper  auspices,  good 
may,  and  frequently  does,  result  from  such  passages  at  arms  ; 
provided  Christian  charity  is  observed  by  the  contending 
parties,  and  there  be,  on  the  side  of  error,  good  faith  in  him 
who  champions  it. 

Many  of  the  ancient  Fathers  of  the  Church,  such  as  Ori- 
GEN,  Tertulliax,  Augustine,  and  others,  were  controver- 
sialists, and,  in  modeni  times,  we  have  such  men  as  Bossuet, 


ALETHAURION.  223 

MiLNEK,  Doyle,  Hughes,  und  Purcell,  who,  both  orally 
iind  in  writing,  have  drawn  the  sword  of  the  spirit  with 
success. 

As  to  the  laity,  in  a  country  like  this,  where,  like  the 
rank  and  file  of  soldiers,  on  the  field  of  battle,  they  have  to 
go  into  the  thick  of  the  fight,  their  duty  is  clear  enough, 
and  may  be  expressed  as  follows  : 

First  of  all,  take  in  a  supply  of  ammunition — by  the 
word,  we  mean  here  a  knowledge  of  the  truths  of  the  faith, 
history  of  the  Church,  etc.  Fire  and  throw  shells  right  and 
left  into  the  enemy's  ranks — keep  cool — all  must  be  done 
in  Christian  charity — we  conquer  but  to  save.  Some  of 
your  balls  will  miss  the  mark,  some  of  the  shells  will  not 
explode  at  once,  but  they  will  after  a  time  ;  keep  on  using 
your  ammunition  ;  it  only  costs  you  a  trifle,  and  the  supply 
at  headquarters  is  immense.  It  may  never,  on  earth,  be 
granted  you  to  see  the  amount  of  damage  you  have  done 
the  cause  of  error,  nor  the  service  you  have  rendered  the 
cause  of  truth.  This  knowledge  will  come  only  after  you 
have  fought  your  last  battle. 

The  writer  of  this  has  had  the  pleasure  of  introducing 
into  the  true  fold  upwards  of  twenty  persons,  adults,  and 
he  can  state  it  as  his  firm  belief  and  conviction,  that  each 
and  every  one  of  these  was  first  brought  into  the  way  of 
investigation  by  the  words,  or  by  the  example,  of  a  member 
of  the  laity. 

We  have  been  led  into  the  foregoing  reflections  by  the 
character  of  the  man  under  consideration.  Now,  in  conclu- 
sion, we  will  see  how  he  bears  testimony  to  the  fact  that  St. 
Peter  came  to  Rome.  Eusebius  tells  us,  in  book  vi,  chap- 
ter 20,  that  he  had,  himself,  read  the  dispute  between  Caius 
and  Proculus  ;  and  in  book  ii,  chapter  25,  he  makes  use 
of  the  following  words  : 

"Caius,  a  certain  Catholic  man  who  lived  at  the  time  that  Zepheri- 
Kus  was  bishop  of  Rome,  in  that  book,  which  he  \\Tote  against  Pro- 
culus, the  patron  of  the  sect  called  Cataphrigians,  in  disputing  about 
the  place  where  the  bodies  of  the  aforesaid  Apostles,  Peter  and  Paul 


# 


224  ALETHAURION. 

are  buried,  says :  'I  can,  indeed,  show  you  trophies,  for  whether  you 
should  be  pleased  to  go  to  the  Vatican  hill,  or  along  the  re  ad  to  Ostii, 
you  will  tind  the  trophies  of  them  who  founded  that  Chnich/ viz :  tie 
Boman  Ch.u-ch." 

The  trophies  spoken  of  in  the  quotation,  mean  the  tombs 
of  the  Apostles,  Peter  and  Paul.  St.  Peter  was  cruci- 
fied on  the  Janiculum,  and  St.  Paul  beheaded  at  a  place 
called  the  Three  Fountains.  But  their  bodies  were  not 
interred  where  they  had  suffered.  The  one  was  taken  to 
the  foot  of  the  Vatican,  and  buried  w^here  the  Church  of  St. 
Peter  now  stands.  The  remains  of  the  other  were  bi'ought 
from  the  Three  Fountains,  to  a  point  about  four  miles  closer 
to  the  city,  and  buried  where  St.  Paul's  may  be  seen  at  the 
present  day  This  testimony  of  Caius  is  as  explicit  on  the 
subject  as  need  be  desired.  In  disputing  with  an  heretic  he 
points  to  public  monuments,  and  to  facts  that  the  heretics 
could  not  deny. 

DiONYSiUS  will  be  our  next. 


CHAPTER  LIl. 


BACCHUS. 


Before  the  coming  of  Christ,  idolatry  was  practiced  by 
all  the  nations  of  the  earth,  except  the  Jews.  This  often 
took  the  shape  of  hero  worship.  Men,  who  had  distin- 
guished themselves  in  war,  or  by  the  invention  of  some 
useful  art,  after  having  received  the  praises  of  their  co- 
temporai-ies  during  life,  came  to  be  regarded,  after  some 
generations,  as  entirely  superior  beings,  and  worthy  of  di- 
vine homage.  Had  the  coming  of  the  Saviour  been  delayed 
by,  say  two  thousand  years,  who  knows  but  some  of  us 
might  now  be  engaged  in  worshiping  Ollam,  Fodlah,  or 
FuAN  MacOuil,  instead  of  the  one  true  and  living  God. 

He,  whose  name  stands  at  the  head  of  this  chapter,  in 
all  probability,  belongs  to  the  class  of  men   of  whom   we 


ALETHAURION.  225 

are  speaking.     As  regards  his  real  history,  little  or  nothing 
is  known. 

Some  think  he  was  the  same  as  Sesostrius,  (Rh^iasas  II,) 
the  celebrated  Egvtian  king,  who  flourished  about  thirteen 
hundred  years  before  Christ,  and  conquered  India,  with  a 
great  part  of  the  then  known  world.  There  are  even  not 
wanting  those  who  think  that  the  original  Bacchus  was  no 
other  than  Noah  himself.  As  to  who  Bacchus  really  was, 
is  one  of  those  deep  questions,  to  the  solution  of  which  no 
one  outside  of  an  Indian  Brahmin,  or  a  Dutch  philosopher, 
need  approach. 

To  conKne  ourselves  to  probabilities,  we  would  say  that 
he  was  some  man  who  lived  about  the  beginning  of  the 
heroic  age  of  Greece,  and,  having  acquired  skill  in  agricul- 
ture, and  in. the  treatment  of  the  vine,  he  disclosed  to  his 
semi-barbarous  countrymen  what  a  power  of  fun  and  jollity 
there  is  in  the  juice  of  the  grape.  He  thus  rendered  his 
name  immortal,  and  in  the  estimation  of  his  fellow  barba- 
rians, secured  a  place  among  the  gods.  Bacchus  was  wor- 
shiped among  the  ancients  with  a  devotion  fully  equal  to  the 
honor*^  he  receives  in  modern  times. 

His  feasts,  celebrated  at  Mounts  Citharon,  and  Parnassus, 
in  Greece,  were  for  the  women  alone,  who,  on  such  occa- 
sions, ran  wild  through  the  mountains,  dressed  as  they  had 
come  from  the  hands  of  their  maker.  Should  any  man 
attempt  to  intrude,  his  life  paid  the  forfeit  of  his  foolhardi- 
ness,  or  curiosity,  as  the  case  might  be.  This  is,  probably, 
the  first  example  we  have  in  history  of  a  woman's  rights 
party. 

The  place,  however,  at  which  the  rites  of  Bacchus  were 
carried  out  fulh^  with  all  their  developments  and  ramifica- 
tions, was  the  town  of  Nyssa,  in  Asia  Minor,  and,  from 
this  circumstance  he  received  the  name  of  Dionysius,  or 
god  of  Nyssa. 

The  excesses  indulged  in,  during  these  Bacchanalia,  are 


I 


226  ALETHAUKION. 

said  to  have  been  ridiculous,  even  immoral  beyond  descrip- 
tion. People  may  talk,  nowadays,  of  the  irregularities  of 
a  Methodist  camp-meeting,  but  Christianity,  even  in  its 
lowest  phases,  has  nothing  to  account  f(5r,  in  comparison 
with  the  depravity  of  ancient  Paganism.  Kot  only  the 
slaves  and  debased  portion  of  the  community  took  part  in 
these  orgies,  but  even  men,  otherwise  possessed  of  enlight- 
ened views,  thought  it  no  disgrace  to  throw  themselves  com- 
pletely away  on  such  occasions. 

The  historian  of  Alexander  the  great,  relates  how  that 
renowned  warrior,  on  his  march  back  from  India,  had  built 
an  immense  chariot,  or  rather  platform  on  wheels,  on  top 
of  which,  in  imitation  of  Bacchus,  he  caroused  and  drank, 
until  many  of  his  officers  thought  he  had  completely  lost  his 
senses. 

If  some  of  those  infidels  of  the  present  day,  who  affect 
to  admire  Paganism,  could  only  get  it  back  in  its  simon 
l^urity,  for  a  time,  may  be  we  would  hear  no  more  of  their 
whining  about  Christianity  interfering  with  the  progress  and 
development  of  the  race. 

In  due  time  the  rites  of  Bacchus  were  introduced  into 
Rome  ;  and,  of  course,  readily  adopted.  Like  the  Brook- 
lyn and  Chicago  sinners,  who  flocked  to  hear  Moody  and 
Sankey,  and  affected,  hypocritically,  a  conversion  from  their 
evil  w^ays,  the  Pagan  Roman  did  not  require  much  forcing 
to  make  him  believe  that  Bacchus  w^as  a  god  deserving  of 
honor.  But  like  the  preaching  and  singing  of  the  two 
worthies  alluded  to,  results  did  not  justify  expectations, 
and,  consequently,  in  the  year  146  B.  C,  the  Roman  sen- 
ate, by  a  solemn  decree,  which  remains  extant  to  this  day, 
abolished  the  Bacchanalian  rites  and  orgies. 

The  Saturnalia;,  or  capers,  in  honor  of  the  god  Saturx, 
took  their  place  ;  and  these,  stripped  of  every  objectionable 
feature  by  Christianity,  remain,  strange  to  say,  even  until 
now.  They  go  under  the  name  of  the  Carnival,  during 
which,  every  one  in  Rome,  who  has  a  spark  of  life  in  him. 


ALETHAURION  227 

is  supposed  to  forget  dull  care,  and  enjoy  himself  hugely 
for  a  few  days — within  the  precepts  of  the  gospel,  however. 

In  the  year  1724,  an  Englishman,  named  Middleton, 
visited  Rome  during  the  Carnival ;  and  while  passing  along 
the  Corso,  was  pelted,  like  all  the  others,  with  confetti, 
until  he  looked  like  a  miller's  boy.  Having  had  on  at  the 
time,  a  beaver  hat  and  a  black  cut-away  coat,  and  having 
had,  moreover,  some  aspirations  for  the  mitre,  among  the 
Anglicans,  he  did  not  relish  such  work  at  all.  By  way  of 
reprisal,  and  to  vindicate  outraged  dignity,  he  conceived  the 
idea  of  writing  a  book  against  such  abominations,  and  he 
wrote  it.  This  he  called  a  Letter  from  Rome.  In  it  he 
proved,  to  his  own  satisfation,  that  the  religion  of  Rome,  in 
his  day,  was  derived  from  Paganism.  What  a  mystery 
human  nature  is,  and  how  veiy  few  there  are  who  speak  or 
act  from  pure  principle?  Had  we  the  means  of  examining 
the  motives  of  men,  which  the  Omniscient  has,  how  often 
would  we  not  find  a  dirty  blotch  where  the  uninitiated  can 
see  naught  but  the  color  of  the  rose  !  If  Middletox  had 
not  been  pelted  with  the  confetti,  may  be  he  would  have  seen 
Rome,  and  its  religion,  through  differently  colored  glasses. 

We  are  all  ruined  by  cheap  Chinese  labor,  as  the  Califor- 
nia gambler  said,  when  he  was  outwitted,  and  desired  to 
recover,  by  main  force,  what  he  was  unable  to  retain  by 
his  skill.  No  doubt,  the  animosity  that  men  sometimes 
manifest  towards  those  who  differ  with  them,  whether  in 
politics  or  religion,  may  often,  if  not  always,  be  traced  up 
to  considerations  that  are  entirely  personal. 

We  knew  a  Scotchman  who  hated  all  Welshmen  gener- 
ally— on  principle — because  they  w^ere  so  mean.  But  the 
true  reason  for  his  dislike  to  the  class  alluded  to,  was  the 
fact  that,  in  an  encounter  with  one,  he  had  come  out  minus 
a  thumb.  On  the  same  principle  you  will  sometimes  find 
lazy  drones  of  men,  tramps,  complaining  that  they  can  get 
nothing  to  do  because  of  their  religion  or  nationality,  when 


228  ALETHAURION. 

it  is  their  own  lack  of  energy,  or  may  be  their  disposition 
to  be  tricky  and  unreliable,  that  makes  them  failures. 

God  surrounds  virtue  in  the  next  life  with  glory ;  energy 
with  purple  in  this,  and  sloth  with  rags  in  both. 

Thus  far  we  have  spoken  of  Bacchus.  In  our  next  we 
will  take  his  other  name  of  Dionysius,  make  some  com- 
ments on  the  theory  of  Mr.  Middletox,  and  show  how  a 
Dionysius  bears  testimony  to  the  fact  that  St.  Peter  came 
to  Eome. 


CHAPTER  LIII. 


DIONYSIUS. 

In  the  last  chapter  we  spoke,  incidentally,  of  a  cockney 
preacher  named  Middleton,  who  visited  Rome  in  1724,  and 
discovered  that  the  Romans  of  that  day  had  got  their  reli- 
gion from  their  pagan  ancestors.  Before  giving  the  testi- 
mony of  Dionysius  to  the  fact  that  Peter  came  to  the  city 
of  the  Seven  Hills,  a  word  or  two  about  this  cockney.  His 
book  is  leveled  against  the  honor  and  veneration  given  to 
the  saints  by  the  Catholic  Church. 

Hence,  to  get  at  him,  we  must  clear  away  the  weeds,  then 
we  can  seize  him  and  decapitate,  at  our  leisure.  Let  us 
first  consider  what  worship  is. 

Worship  may  be  defined  as  the  honor  which  is  given  to 
God,  or  to  a  creature,  with  an  eye  to  and  out  of  respect  for 
God.  It  is  of  two  kinds,  the  first  and  hi<2:he.st  called  by 
writers  on  theology,  Latvia,  is  that  given  to  God  alone. 

The  second  and  inferior,  is  called  Dulia,  and  is  precisely 
that  worship  which,  in  the  Catholic  Church,  is  given  to  the 
saints  and  angels,  this  distinction  is,  or  ought  to  be,  clear 
enough  for  any  one  who  is  not  a  registered  lunatic  or  born 
idiot.  Yet,  there  are  preachers,  like  Middleton,  who  get 
this  matter,  even  to  this  day,  hopelessly  mixed.     They  will 


ALETHAURION.  229 

have  it  that  we  honor  the  saints  with  the  same  worship  we 
give  the  Almighty. 

We  Catholics  are  sometimes  astonished  that  heretics  are 
so  slow  in  comprehending  things  that  are  so  plain  to  us.  No 
doubt  some  of  them  speak  and  write  in  bad  faith.  That  is, 
they  make  assertions  they  know  to  be  untrue.  But  when 
we  speak  of  the  bulk  of  heretics,  it  would  scarcely  do  to  put 
them  all  under  the  heading  of  liars.  There  are  many  who 
though  not  professing  the  true  faith,  have  yet  some  good 
qualities  who  are,  according  to  our  way  of  speaking,  good 
citizens  and  acceptable  acquaintances. 

A  study  of  the  cause  of  the  religious  obtuseness  of  such, 
requires  that  we  go  a  little  beyond  the  surface  into  what 
is  called  human  nature.  In  the  first  place,  let  it  be  under- 
stood, that  he  who  is  the  slave  of  any  particular  vice,  has 
his  intellect  clouded  to  a  corresponding  degree,  as  regards 
the  contrary  virtue. 

The  avaricious  man  can,  with  difficulty,  find  an  object, 
worthy  of  his  liberality ;  and  the  miseries  of  the  poor  he 
attributes  to  their  own  laziness,  lack  of  energy,  or  improvi- 
dence. His  intellect  is  clouded,  and  his  will  is  not  moved 
to  charitable  deeds  when  the  widow  and  the  orphan  hold 
forth  their  hands.  The  libertine  hates  priests,  monks  and 
nuns,  because  his  intellect  is  befogged  by  sensual  indul- 
gence. 

Thus,  also,  it  is  with  heretics,  as  regards  the  truths  of  our 
holy  faith.  Though,  in  mere  temporal  matters  they  may 
be,  and  frequently  are  very  acute  ;  in  spiritual  things,  the 
profession  or  error  to  which  they  are  accustomed,  obnubi- 
lates the  intellect  and  they  become  veritable  blockheads. 

Hence,  it  happens,  when  we  endeavor  to  explain  things 
that  are  so  clear  to  ourselves,  we  are  surprised  at  their 
obtuseness. 

As  regards  the  first  kind  of  worship,  which  is  given  to 
God  alone  there  can  be  no  difference  between  us.  But  on 
the  second,  we  are  considerably  at  variance.     The  question 


230  ALETHAURION. 

resolves  itself  into  this  :     Is  it  lawful   or   useful   to   honor 
and  invoke  the  saints  ? 

ViGiLANTius,  a  heretic  of  the  fifth  century,  was  the  first 
to  deny  it,  and  he  was  handsomely  snuffed  out  by  St.  Je- 
rome. Faustus,  another  of  the  same  breed,  got  his  dose 
from  the  hands  of  Dr.  Austin,  bishop  of  Hippo. 

And  our  modern  theologians  have  been  doctoring  Luther, 
Beausobore,  Middleton,  Gibbon  and  others,  for  some 
years  past,  with  fair  prospects  of  an  early,  and  a  splendid 
funeral. 

It  is  not  wTong  for  men  to  honor  the  saints,  because  God 
himself  has  done  and  does  so.  John  xiv,  23.  It  is  useful 
to  invoke  their  intercession,  because  St.  Paul  did  so,  even 
in  the  case  of  saints  not  yet  confirmed  in  glory.  Roman 
XV,  30. 

Our  friend  Middleton  discovered  durinsr  his  stav  in  the 
Eternal  City,  that  the  Pantheon,  built  by  Marcus  Agrippa, 
as  a  receptacle  for  all  the  gods,  has  lost  its  statues  of 
Jupiter,  Juno,  Minerva,  Mars,  Venus,  Priapus,  and,  in 
their  stead,  are  those  of  our  Lord,  his  blessed  Mother,  and 
the  saints. 

Hence,  he  came  to  the  conclusion  that  the  Blessed  Virgin 
and  the  saints  are  now  worshipped  in  Rome,  as  Juno,  Mars, 
Apollo,  etc.,  were  then  honored  and  adored.  Now  there 
is  some  truth,  if  not  in  the  theory,  at  least  in  the  facts  of 
Mr.  Middleton.  It  is  true  that  the  Pantheon,  which  w^as 
formerly  a  pagan  temple,  is  now  a  Christian  Church.  The 
niches  where  once  stood  the  statues  of  the  gods  of  Rome, 
are  nov/  filled  with  those  of  Christian*  heroes. 

On  the  spot  where  stood  the  temple  of  Minerva,  in  pagan 
times,  there  is  now  a  church  in  honor  of  the  Blessed  Virgin. 
The  Coliseum,  where  gladiators  fought  with  wild  beasts 
and  stabbed  one  another  for  the  amusement  of  the  heathen, 
is  now  sacred  to  the  memory  of  the  Christian  martyrs. 
On  top  of  Monte  Cavo  where  stood  the  celebrated  temiDle 
of  Jupiter,  there  is  now  a  Passionist  monastery. 


ALETHAURION.  231 

The  Catholic  religion  is  not  destructive  except  of  evil. 
We  storm  the  strongholds  of  Satan,  drive  him  out,  purify 
what  he  has  defiled,  and  hold  it  as  a  trophy.  It  is  in  such 
ways,  that  Rome  honors  error. 

The  house  yet  stands  on  Sycamore  street,  Cincinnati, 
where  the  illustrious  Archbishop  disputed  with  and  van- 
quished the  heresiarch  Campbell.  It  was  then  a  Camp- 
bellite  meeting  house,  now  it  is  a  Christian  Church.  When 
the  din  of  battle  ceases,  and  the  smoke  is  blown  away,  the 
Catholic  Church  is  invariably  found  mistress  of  the  situa- 
tion.    Thus  it  ought  to  be,  and  it  is  thus. 

The  Romans  of  the  present  day  do  certainly  imitate  their 
pagan  ancestors  in  some  particulars.  For  example  :  when 
Romulus,  the  founder  of  the  city,  was  pressed  in  a  battle, 
on  the  Palatine,  he  prayed  to  the  unknown  God  for 
strength  to  overcome  his  foes.  Pius  IX,  also  prays  that 
iniquity  may  not  flourish  and  that  the  enemies  of  religion 
may  not  succeed. 

The  ancient  pagan  Roman  had  a  dread  to  call  any  of  his 
gods  to  witness  a  lie  ;  and  the  modern  Catholic  Roman  has 
the  same  awe  of  a  false  oath.  Thus  it  will  be  found  that, 
in  some  things,  the  religion  of  the  modern  Roman  is  de- 
rived from  his  pagan  ancestors.  Or  rather  let  us  put  it  in 
a  clearer  way  for  you,  friend  Middleton. 

The  religion  of  the  modern  Roman,  is  the  development 
Christ  gave  to  that  natural  law  inscribed  upon  the  heart  of 
man  from  the  beginning.  Another  strong  evidence  of  the 
fact  that  the  Catholic  religion  is  derived  from  paganism 
consists  in  this,  that  many  saints  in  the  calendar  have 
names  that  originally  belonged  to  the  gods  and  goddesses, 
demigods,  and  the  heroes  of  heathenism.     Logic  again. 

We  have  an  illustration  of  this  in  the  case  of  him  whose 
name  stands  at  the  head  of  this  chapter — Dionysius.  Not- 
withstanding his  bad  name,  however,  he  became  a  bishop, 
and  a  good  one.     We  may  now  introduce  him  more  fully, 


232  ALETH  AURION . 

as  one  of  those  ancient  writers  who  bear  testimony  to  the 
fact  that  Peter  came  to  Rome. 

DiONYSius  was  made  bishop  of  Corinth  about  the  year 
170,  and  he  had  the.  reputation  of  being  one  of  the  most 
learned  men  of  his  day.  He  wrote  eight  epistles  to  differ- 
ent churches,  all  of  which,  with  the  exception  of  a  few 
fragments,  have  been  lost.  The  fragments  we  quote  is 
found  in  book  ii,  c.  25,  of  Eusebius'  Church  History.  It 
is  from  his  letter  to  the  Romans,  and  runs  thus : 

"For  both  of  them,  SS.  Peter  and  Paul,  having  entered  our  city  of 
Corinth,  and  having  scattered  liere  the  seed  of  the  gospel,  tanght  us. 
Then  they  ^vent  togetlier  to  Italy,  and  having  likewise  instructed  you, 
(Romans),  both  suffered  martyrdom  at  the  same  time.  These  things 
have  I  mentioned,  that  the  memory  of  the  fact  may  become  better  and 
better  established." 

This  quotation  expkiins  itself.  Dioxysius,  who  had  an 
excellent  opportunity  of  knowing  the  facts  in  the  case, 
states  that  Peter  and  Paul,  having  passed  through  Corinth, 
went  to  Rome,  where  both  were  put  to  death. 

What  Irexeus  says  will  form  the  groundwork  for  our 
next. 


CHAPTER  LIV 


irexeus. 

Irexeus  was  bishop  of  Lyons,  and  suffered  martyrdom 
for  the  faith  in  the  year  202.  In  youth,  he  was  a  disciple 
of  PoLYCARP,  who  was  a  disciple  of  St.  Joux  the  Evange- 
list. He  was  one  of  those  grand  old  heroes  of  the  early 
Church,  worthy  successor  of  the  Apostles  in  zeal  ;  a  sentinel 
on  the  watch  towers  of  Zion,  whose  light  still  shines 
through  the  dim  vista  of  ages,  and  whose  written  word  is 
still  a  solace  to  the  heart,  even  though  the  hand  that  penned 
it  has  Ions:  sinc'c  moldered  to  dust. 

Great  was  his  reputation  for  piety  and  learning,  among 
his  cotemporaries  ;  but  it  is  to  be  regretted  that  of  his  works 


ALETHAUKION.  233 

only  the  treatise  Against  Heresies^  has  come  down  to  us. 
The  rest  of  his  writings  did  not  keep  up  with  Time,  and  are 
now  undiscoverable  in  the  mazes  of  the  past.  That  good- 
natured  Rotterdammer,  Erasmus,  who  is  said  to  have  laid 
the  Qgg  out  of  which  Luther  hatched  the  reformation,  in 
his  preface  to  the  works  of  Ireneus,  says  : 

'•  They  breathe  the  primitive  vigor  of  the  gospel.  *  The  phases  show 
a  heart  prepared  for  martyrdom,  for  the  martyrs  liave  a  certain  strong, 
masculine  and  fearless  way  of  speaking.'* 

Our  Rotterdam  friend  expresses  here  an  idea  which  he 
certainly  did  not  carry  out  himself,  for  he  had  only  the 
heart  of  a  sparrow. 

All  those  who  have  ever  done  the  Christian  cause  a  real 
service,  from  the  time  of  the  Saviour  to  our  own.,  have  car- 
ried in  their  breasts  hearts  prepared  for  martyrdom.  He 
who  is  ready  to  die  for  the  faith  is  generally  thinking  about 
something  else  besides  w^hat  he  shall  eat,  or  wherewith  he 
shall  be  clothed  ;  which  is,  unfortunately,  getting  to  be  one 
of  the  great  problems  of  our  day,  and  one  of  the  main  draw- 
backs to  the  spread  of  the  gospel.  It  is  true,  as  Erasmus 
say<,  that  the  martyrs  have  a  way  of  speaking,  peculiar  to 
themselves. 

liic  Roman  emperors  often  felt  this,  and  their  wrath  was 
mure  and  more  enkindled  thereby.  When  the  pagan  gladia- 
tors appeared  in  the  ampitheater,  they  marched  before  the 
emperor,  waved  their  swords  in  the  air,  and  saluted  him 
with  the  words,  Ave  C^sar  :  Morituri  te  Salutamus.  They 
hoped  by  this  piece  of  flattery  to  gain  his  good  will,  even 
though  they  were  not  long  to  enjoy  it. 

The  Christian  martyrs  gave  his  majesty  another  kind  of 
salutation ,  calculated  to  make  him  feel  he  was  not  as  great  a 
being  as  he  imagined  : .  Tu  quidem  scelestissime  in  Presenti 
vita  nosperdis:  Sed  Rex  mundi,  Cristus,  defunctos  nospro 
suis  legihus  in  ceternce  vitoe  resurrectione  suscitabit. 

It  is  thus,  also,  that  the  great  men  of  every  age  of  the 
Church  spoke  and  acted  towards  those  who  opposed  Christ 


234  ALETHAURION. 

and  His  gospel.  They  expected  no  quarter  from  the  world, 
and  they  asked  for  none.  They  did  not  flatter  the  powerful 
in  order  to  gain  their  protection . 

There  are  few  things  more  unbecomins^,  and  as  fruitless 
withal,  as  to  see  a  man  who  professes  the  true  faith  hob- 
nobbing with  some  infidel  or  heretical  person  in  power,  under 
pretence  of  benefiting  the  Church.  The  Church  never  has 
been  benefited  and  never  will  be  by  men  of  that  brand.  The 
writer,  some  years  ago,  came  across  one  of  the  kind. 

On  being  asked  why  he  did  not  go  to  church  regularly  on 
Sundays,  and  above  all,  why  he  did  not  go  to  confession 
and  communion,  it  being  the  paschal  time,  he  replied  :  ''I 
believe  the  course  1  am  pursuing  is  more  advantageous  to 
the  Church  in  this  place  than  if  I  should  become  a  practical 
Catholic.  For  being  half  and  half  I  gain  the  good  will  of 
the  Protestants,  by  showing  them  we  are  not  prejudiced  ; 
and  I  shall  continue  to  believe,  of  course,  that  the  old  way 
is  the  right  one  and  the  only  one." 

*'  Mr.  Blaxk,"  we  replied,  "if  you  have  spoken  out  your 
mind,  you  are  laboring  under  a  delusion, and  you  are  moreover 
'an  enemy  to  every  Protestant  that  gets  acquainted  with  you." 

"  How  so,"  said  he. 

"It  is  thus  :  As  you  circulate  among  unbelievers,  they  have 
an  opportunity  of  studying  you,  and  in  doing  so,  they  no 
doubt  imagine  they  are  gaining  true  notions  concerning  the 
Catholic  Church.  Now  the  truth  is,  you  poison  the  atmos- 
phere in  which  you  move,  for  you  show  yourself  insincere. 
You  make  them  believe  that  Catholics  are  like  themselves, 
unsettled  in  their  opinions.  The  laborer,  who,  though  he  has 
to  work  hard,  will  yet  abstain  from  meat  one  day  out  of  each 
week,  and  will  ride  several  miles  over  bad  roads  to  hear  mass 
on  Sundays  in  winter,  is  by  that  alone,  giving  a  proof  of 
his  sincerity,  and  one  word  from  him  would  weigh  more 
with  a  dying  heretic  than  a  peck  of  sermons  from  such  as 
you.  Don't  try  to  excuse  the  practices  of  the  Catholic 
Church,  for  they   need  none.     Explain  them  as   far  as  you 


ALETHAUEION.  235 

can,  but  do  not  for  a  moment  imagine  that  you  could 
remodel  the  Saviour's  handiwork  with  any  degree  of  profit 
to  the  human  race.  Moreover,  even  though  you  should 
succeed  in  converting  all  the  heretics  in  creation,  of  what 
utility  would  that  be  to  you,  if  you  became  a  reprobate 
yourself.'* 

It  cannot  be  said  that  we  have  in  the  Catholic  Church, 
even  at  the  present  day,  a  great  many  of  the  class  of  men 
of  which  we  are  speaking,  but,  the  few  we  have,  do  an 
injury  to  the  cause  they  pretend  to  advocate. 

There  is  to  be  no  compromise  with  error.  Truth  and 
falsehood  will  not  form  a  chemical  compound.  It  will  be 
at  best  only  a  mechanical  mixture. 

The  success  of  some  politicians,  that  are  Catholics  only 
in  name,  also  hinders  the  propagation  of  sound  principles 
among  the  youth  of  the  rising  generation.  When  one  of 
the  latter  sees  Mr.  Brown  falling  down  before  the  Beast, 
and  getting  office,  on  account  of  his  liberal  views,  or  apos- 
tacy,  as  you  may  please  to  call  it,  he  thinks  he  must  do  the 
same  thing  in  order  to  have  the  like  success.  **  All  these 
things  will  I  give  thee,  if  falling  down  thou  wilt  adore  me," 
said  Satan  to  the  Saviour.  He  does  not  promise  the  major- 
ity of  politicians  much,  and  even  that  little  they  do  not 
always  get. 

It  is  refreshing  to  turn  away  from  such  people  to  contem- 
plate a  truly  sincere  man — Ireneus,  who,  as  our  Dutch 
friend  says,  spoke  like  a  man  who  did  not  fear  death.  Let 
us  see  what  he  has  had  to  say  about  the  coming  of  Peter 
to  Rome.  In  book  iii,  Against  Heresies,  he  uses  the  follow- 
insr  words : 

''Since  it  would  be  very  tedious,  in  a  volume  of  this  kind,  to  enumerate 
the  successions  in  all  the  Church,  we  may  contine  ourselves  to  that  of  the 
Church  of  Rome,  which  is  the  most  ancient  and  best  known;  it  having 
been  founded  and  constituted  by  the  most  glorious  Apostles,  Peter  and 
Paul.  That  Church,  by  its  succession  of  bishops  to  cur  own  times,  pre- 
serves the  tradition  received  from  the  Apostles,  and  the  faith  which  thej^ 
announced  to  men.    Through  her  we  confound  all  our  enemies." 


236  AT.ETHAURION. 

Let  it  be  observed  here  that  Ireneus  not  only  bears  wit- 
ness to  the  fact  that  Peter  and  Paul  founded  the  Church 
in  Rome,  and  consequently  came  there  ;  but  he  also  makes 
use  of  the  very  same  argument  that  we  do,  even  at  this  day, 
against  the  heretics. 

When  we  show  them  a  line  of  Bishops  going  up  without 
interruption  from  Pius  IX  to  Peter,  the  conclusion  is  irri- 
sistibly  forced  on  them  that  the  Catholic  Church  of  the 
present  day  is  the  one  which  Christ  founded.  This  argu- 
ment is  a  clincher.  It  is  an  elephant  that  walks  through  all 
their  spider-webs. 

In  our  next  we  will  take  a  stroll  about  the  city  of  Rome 
itself  and  examine  the  foot-prints  that  Peter  has  left  there. 


CHAPTER  LV. 


FOOTPRINTS. 


We  are  now  approaching  the  close  of  that  question  we 
have  been  discussing  for  a  time  past — the  coming  of  Peter 
to  Rome.  Let  none  of  our  readers  imaghie  we  have  given 
all,  or  even  any  considerable  part,  of  what  writers  have  said 
on  the  subject.  Our  oV)ject  has  not  been  to  exhibit  a  chain  of 
authors  from  the  days  of  the  Apostles  to  our  own,  which 
we  could  readily  do,  if  there  were  any  occasion  or  necessity. 
We  desired  rather  to  confine  ourselves  to  the  most  ancient 
and  reliable.  Consequently,  we  do  not  deem  it  expedient 
to  bring  to  notice  the  testimony  of  any  who  lived  at  a  later 
period  than  the  close  of  the  second  century.  The  Fathers 
of  the  Church,  and  others  who  flourished  after,  did  nothing 
more  than  copy  from  those  whose  names  we  have  given. 
Let  the  reader  feel  assured  then,  that  on  the  coming  of 
Peter  to  Rome  he  has  received  nothing  at  second  hand, 
and  that  nothing  else  in  the  way  of  coeval,  or  quasi-coeval 
authority,  can  be  produced  on  the  subject. 


ALETHAURION.  237 

Let  us  now  turn  attention  to  another  line  of  argument : 
Footprints  we  may  call  them.  Longfellow  once  said : 

<'  Lives  of  great  men  all  remind  us 
We  can  make  our  lives  sublime, 
And  departing,  leave  behind  us 
Footprints  on  the  sands  of  time." 

Wherever  there  has  been  a  real  genius,  you  will  find  evi- 
dences of  his  existence.  One  cannot  live  long  in  Paris  and 
remain  ignorant  that,  at  some  former  period,  a  man  named 
Bonaparte  honored  the  city  with  his  presence. 

It  would  be  difficult  for  a  foreigner  to  live  in  this  country 
for  a  great  while,  and  not  learn  something  about  Wash- 
ington. He  could  not  but  notice  the  pictures  on  furniture 
wagons,  and  on  postage  stamps,  before  and  after  licking 
them.  Thus  it  is  that  great  men  leave  after  them  those 
footprints  and  head-marks  of  w^hich  the  poet  speaks. 

With  these  observations  let  us  proceed.  Peter  was  not 
what  one  might  call  a  born  genius  ;  and  had  he  not  been 
called  by  the  Saviour,  it  is  not .  likely  we  would  know  any 
more  about  him  now,  than  we  do  of  the  grand-mother-in- 
law  of  Tecumseh.  But  from  the  time  he  got  orders  to  feed 
the  lambs  and  sheep  of  the  flock,  he  also  received  those 
mental  endowments  that  constitute  srenius  of  the  hischest 
order.,  After  that,  when  he  spoke,  people  listened,  and 
when  he  put  down  his  foot,  he  left  a  mark.  One  of  the«e 
is  visible  in  the  liturgy  of  the  Roman  Church,  where  belief 
is  expressed  in  the  fact  that  he  came  to  the  city,  in  accord- 
ance with  the  maxim  of  St.  Augustine,  ''forma  orandi  est 
forma  credendiy''  the  manner  of  praying  is  the  manner  of 
believing. 

Let  us  see  more  particularly  in  what  these  proofs  from 
the  liturgy  consist.  First  of  all  let  it  be  remembered  that 
we  celebrate  in  the  universal  Church  a  feast  in  honor  of  the 
Chair  of  St.  Peter.  This  is  of  very  ancient  date,  so  much 
so  that  no  one  knows  when  it  began.  Of  its  antiquity  we 
have  an  excellent  proof   in  the  immense  number  of   bowls 


238  ALETHAURION. 

and  vases  found  in  the  catacombs  and  bearing  the  images 
of  Sts.  Peter  and  Paul.  The  renowned  archaeologist,  De 
Rossi,  says  that  the  immense  number  of  such  vessels  can- 
not be  explained  otherwise  than  by  admitting  that  the 
Christians,  while  yet  in  the  catacombs,  instituted  festiv^al 
days  in  honor  of  the  Prince  of  the  Apostles.  As  we  keep 
the  Fourth  of  July  in  honor  of  our  deliverance  from  British 
tyranny,  so  did  the  Romans  observe  the  twenty-ninth  of 
June,  as  the  day  on  which  occurred  the  death  of  their  great 
Apostle,  who  first  preached  to  them  the  glad  tidings  of 
redemption,  and  of  deliverance  from  the  tyranny  of  Sa- 
tan. 

This  theory  receives  further  support  from  w^hat  we  read 
In  epistle  xxxi  of  St.  Jerome,  which  is  to  Eustachius.  It 
appears  that  abuses  had  crept  into  these  celebrations,  and 
St.  Jerome,  finds  fault  with  the  people  for  imagining  they 
were  honoring  a  martyr  by  gluttony,  who  did  himself  honor 
God  by  prayer  and  fa^^ting. 

St.  Augustine,  in  his  narrative  on  the  59th  psalm,  speaks 

of  those  same  abuses  on  the  feast  day  of  St.  Peter,  in  the 

followinoj  words : 

'^  Drunkards  now  persecute  the  martyrs  with  flowing  bowls  as  the 
furious  Pagans  and  Jews  furmerly  did  with  stones.'" 

The  other  two  feast  days  that  prove  St.  Peter  came  to 
Rome,  are  those  observed  on  the  eighteenth  of  January  and 
on  the  first  of  August. 

The  festival  of  the  Pasch,  among  the  Jews,  is  not  a  more 
convincing  proof  of  the  truth  of  what  we  read  in  Exodus, 
than  are  those  feast  days,  in  honor  of  Peter,  of  the  truth 
of  all  the  Romans  say  about  his  visit  and  stay  in  their  city. 

We  will  now  take  some  proofs  from  archaeology.  On  the 
Aventine,  one  of  the  seven  hills  of  Rome,  there  is  a  Church 
in  honor  of  St.  Prisca,  Virgin  Martyr,  said  to  have  been 
the  first  after  St.  Stephen. 

St.  Peter  baptized  her,  and  the  very  urn  in  "which  this 
was  done  is  still  kept  in  the  crypt  of  the  Church,  and  may 


ALETHAURION.  239 

be  seen  to  this  day.  What  do  you,  Baptists  and  Campbell- 
ites,  think  of  that?  AVill  you  still  continue  to  wade  the 
creeks  and  horse  ponds?  Will  you  persist  in  endangering 
the  lives  of  boys  and  old  women,  by  cutting  the  ice  and 
sticking  them  in  ? 

If  from  the  Aventine  we  go  to  the  Viminal,  we  will  find 
another  of  the  fisherman's  imprints.  We  speak  of  the 
Church  of  St.  Prudextiaxa.  When  Peter  came  to  Rome, 
about  the  year  44  of  our  era,  he  first  remained  in  the  Jew- 
ish quarter.  But,  having  converted  Pudexs,  a  senator,  with 
his  mother,  two  sons  and  two  daughters,  one  of  whom  was 
called  Prudextiaxa,  he  was  invited  after  that  to  live  with 
the  senator  himself,  which  he  did. 

The  Church  we  are  speaking  of  stands  now  where  stood 
the  senatorial  mansion  in  question.  Kot  only  did  Pudexs 
receive  the  Apostle  into  his  house  ;  he  went  so  far  as  to 
give  up  to  him  his  own  citrule,  or  senatorial  chair — which 
identical  chair  has  been  preserved  to  this  day,  and  is  now 
kept  in  the  bronze  case  back  of  the  high  altar  in  St.  Peter's 
Church.  Some  few  years  ago  it  was  taken  out  and  exposed 
to  the  veneration  of  the  faithful :  on  which  occasion  the 
•writer  had  the  pleasure  of  gazing  upon  the  interesting  relic, 
an  heirloom  from  Pudexs  to  Peter,  and  from  Peter  to 
Pius. 

The  chair  has  about  it  all  the  marks  of  authenticity.  It 
is  of  solid  oak,  light  brown  in  color ;  is  an  arm-chair,  with 
a  straight  sfothic  back.  It  mav  have  been  at  one  time 
regarded  as  a  fine  piece  of  workmanship,  but  it  would 
scarcely  take  the  prize  now.  Around  the  sides  are  repre- 
sented, in  gold  and  ivory,  the  twelve  labors  of  Hercules, 
and  these  engravings  are  said  by  judges  to  be  most  excel- 
lent of  their  kind.  All  which  show  that  the  chair  belongs 
to  a  period  prior  to  the  decline  of  art  in  the  city. 

In  our  next  we  will  pursue  this  same  subject  a  little 
farther. 


240  ALETHAURION. 


CHAPTER  LVI. 


TRACKS. 


Chapter  Iv  found  us  examining  some  of  the  footprints  left 
after  him  by  St.  Peter,  in  the  city  of  the  Csesars,  which 
length  of  time  is  not  likely  to  efface. 

Great  and  good  men  leave  after  them  marks  of  their  ex- 
istence that  posterity  hold  dear,  because  they  are  flattering 
to  our  race.  Fools  and  knaves  make  prints  in  the  mud  that 
succeeding  generations  do  not  try  to  preserve,  for  they 
are  reminders  of  the  lower  and  baser  elements  of  human 
nature. 

It  is  for  this  reason  that  even  the  prison  of  an  Apostle 
survives,  while  the  palace  of  a  Cfesar  is  allowed  to  crumble. 

Let  us  proceed.  As  one  passes  down  the  Capoline  Hill 
to  the  Roman  Forum,  he  sees  at  his  left,  v/here  the  first 
street  intersects  the  one  he  is  on,  a  two  story  house  that, 
taken  externally,  does  not  appear  to  differ  much  from  others 
in  the  noiijhborhood. 

But  that  corner  lot  has  a  history  of  its  own  ;  the  recital  of 
which  would  make  Captain  Jack  shudder,  or  Sitting  Bull 
stand  up  and  bellow. 

At  this  point,  in  fact,  is  to  be  found  the  far-famed  Mamer- 
tine  prison.  It  was  the  first  ever  built  in  Rome,  and  one 
might  add,  the  best,  if  the  object  of  a  jail  be  to  render  the 
prisoners  miserable,  and  cut  off  all  hope  of  slipping  out  un- 
awares. The  portion  above  ground  is  used  as  a  chapel,  but 
no  stretch  of  the  imagination  can  ever  make  out  of  the  sub- 
terranean part  anything  other  than  what  it  is,  and  was  in- 
tended to  be — a  dismal  dungeon. 

It  appears  to  be  about  twenty  feet  square  at  the  bottom. 
The  side  walls  are  of  massive  stones,  well  dressed  and  bedded 
in  cement.     It  has  an  arched  ceiling  also  of  cut  rock.     And 


ALETHAUKION.  241 

it  is  said  that,  in  ancient  times,  the  only  entrance  to  it  vv-as 
by  a  round  hole  at  the  top,  some  three  feet  in  diameter. 
Through  this  opening  the  prisoners  were  let  down,  some 
times  with  a  rope  ;  more  frequently  by  the  force  of  gravity. 
Their  food  was  also  lowered  through  the  aperture  in  ques- 
tion. Once  that  a  prisoner  was  ii"!  this  dismal  abode  he  was 
there  for  good,  until  his  dead  body  was  taken  out  to  be 
thrown  into  the  Tiber,  or  igiiominiously  buried. 

There  is  now  a  stairway  al(mu^  the  side,  by  which  one  may 
enter.  The  Mamertine  prison,  during  the  palmy  days  of 
Rome,  was  a  place  of  considerable  importance,  politically 
speaking.  No  mere  co:ninon  thieves  nor  cut-throats  were 
allowed  to  experience  its  amenities,  but  only  captive  kings, 
princes  and  satraps.  Prefects,  also,  of  distant  provinces  who 
had  abused  their  power,  and  through  avarice  or  folly,  had 
plundered,  or  allowed  others  to  plunder,  the  people  over 
whom  they  ruled,  got  their  dose  in  the  M.imertine. 

Those  governors,  accused  of  lesser  offenses,  on  being 
called  to  Rome  to  answer  for  their  conduct,  were  allowed  to 
go  at  large  through  the  city,  and  to  even  give  entertainments 
to  senators  and  other  leading  men  whose  intercession  might 
be  valuable.  Their  accusers  also,  sometimes  sub-prefects 
or  other  small  fry,  had  the  run  of  the  great  metropolis  ; 
though  the  officials  kept  an  eye  on  the  latter,  and  reported 
how  they  conducted  themselves.  The  Mamertine  was  not 
for  this  class  of  offenders.  Yet  neither  was  their  stay  in 
the  Eternal  City  one  of  delights.  For  the  victim  and  his 
accusers  awaited  the  trial  day,  with  fear  and  trembling. 
And  when,  at  last,  it  came,  the  usual  result  was  that  the 
prefect,  after  having  received  a  solemn  clouting,  figuratively 
speaking,  was  warned  to  do  better  for  the  future,  and  sent 
back  to  his  province.  The  accusers  were  also,  in  most  cases, 
reinstated.  But  instead  of  cuffs  they  got  kicks  ;  and,  hav- 
ing been  informed  that  obedience  to  authority  was  one  of 
the  fundamental  laws  of  the  Republic,  were  dismissed  with 
some  words  of  advice  and  contempt. 


242  ALETHAURION. 

Thus  did  Pagan  Rome  teach  its  officials,  not  to  quarrel 
with  one  another  about  trifles,  but  to  govern  according  to 
justice  and  the  law. 

It  is  true  when  a  prefect,  or  governor,  was  found  entire- 
ly incompetent  to  fill  his  position,  or  evidently  avaricious 
and  unjust,  he  was  at  once  deposed,  without  further  ado,  and 
lodged  in  the  Mamertine ;  this  the  more  readily,  if  his 
accuser  was  found  to  have  had  a  clean  record. 

The  occasion  when  the  Mamertine  figured  most  conspicu- 
ously was  on  a  triumphal  day.  The  victorious  general,  his 
face  painted  with  vermillion,  and  a  crown  of  laurel  on  his 
brow,  was  borne  in  a  chariot  at  the  head  of  his  soldiers,  along 
the  sacred  way,  which  leads  to  the  capitol.  The  kings  and 
princes  whom  he  had  ov^ercome  were  dragged  along  in 
chains  at  his  chariot  wheels  ;  their  wailings  and  sobs  ren- 
dered inaudible  by  the  shouts  of  the  soldiery  and  the  jeers 
of  the  rabble. 

'*'  When  the  cavalcade  had  got  to  the  foot  of  the  hill,  the 
captives  were  detached  from  the  car  and  taken  to  the  prison 
only  a  few  paces  distant  to  the  right.  Here  they  remained 
uncertain  of  their  fate  until  the  conquerer  had  ascended  the 
hill  and  stood  within  the  temple  of  Jupiter  Capitolinus. 
Then,  at  his  word,  the  wretches  were  either  at  once  dis- 
patched or  left  to  perish  more  miserably  by  starvation  in 
the  darkness  and  filth  of  the  Mamertine. 

JuGURTHA,  the   valiant  king  of  Numidia,  who   to  gain   a 

crown,  murdered  both  his  nephews,  and  to  retain  it  warred 

.many  years  with  the  Romans,  at  last  shuffled  off  the  coil  in 

this  dreary  prison,  after  a  fast  of  six  days  duration,  imposed 

not  by  himself,  but  by  his  merciless  conquorers. 

'Here,  also,  Lentulus  and  Cethegus,  the  accomplices  of 
Cataline,  were  permanently  cured  of  their  ambition  by  the 
hansrman's  knot. 

It  was  in  this  same  Mamertine  dungeon  that  both  Peter 
and  Paul  were  destined  some  time  before  their  martyrdom 
for  the  faith.     By  their  preaching  and  saintly  lives  they  had 


ALETIIAURIOX.  243 

drawn  thousands  from  the  worship  of  Vexus,  of  Merctey, 
and  of  Mars  to  venerate  Christianity  and  to  adore  the  Cru- 
cified. Hence,  they  were  not  looked  upon  as  common  mal- 
efactors, but  rather  as  enemies  of  Rome,  whose  gods  they 
had  set  at  naught ;  so  that  a  little  experience  in  the  Mamer- 
tine  was  thought  aftlvisable,  in  order  to  soften  what  the 
Pagans  took  for  obstinancy,  before  proceeding  to  extreme 
measures. 

Here  Peter  converted  the  centurion  or  jailer,  and  that  he 
might  have  water  with  which  to  baptize  him,  caused  the  ele- 
ment to  spring  up  through  the  prison  floor,  and  there  the 
spring  remains  to  this  day.  We  have  seen  it,  and  drank  of 
its  waters.  The  marble  column,  to  which  the  Apostles  was 
chained,  is  also  there,  bridging  over  the  gap  of  ages. 

Lonjr  aofo  the  Mamertine  w^ould  have  shared  the  fate  of 
most  of  the  other  proud  monuments  of  Pagan  Rome,  but 
the  footprint  of  Peter  has  preserved  it.  And  it,  too,  will 
remain  a  monument,  to  attest  to  future  generations,  as  it 
does  to  us,  the  fact  that  he  visited  the  great  city. 

In  our  next  we  will  continue  the  same  subject. 


CHAPTER  LVn. 


LANDMARKS. 

On  the  outskirts  of  Rome,  to  the  southwest,  stands  the 
Janiculum.  It  is  not  one  of  the  original  seven  hills,  so 
famed  in  history,  though  it  is  higher  than  they  ever  were. 
The  tourist  who  visits  modern  Rome,  finds  it  a  little  diflacult 
to  locate  the  latter,  for  the  debris  of  ages  has  filled  up  the 
valleys.  Even  the  Tarpeian  Rock  is  now  covered  with 
houses,  and  a  fall  from  it  would  be  no  more  poetical  than 
a  drop  from  any  garret  window.  But  the  Janiculum  now, 
^s  in  days  gone  by,  still  lifts  its  head  above  the  grey  old 
xiity.     Virgil  tells  us  that  Jaxus,  the  first  king  of  Italy, 


244  ALETHAUEION. 

lived  on  top  of  it,  and  dying,  left  there  his  name  and  his 
bones. 

As  it  appears  now,  the  hill  has  but  little  of  its  pristine 
severity.  No  trees  nor  undergrowth  bar  the  way  to  its 
summit.  On  the  contrary  ;  a  beautiful  road,  due  to  the 
munificence  of  the  present  pontiff,  gives  easy  access  to 
where  Janus  formerly  had  his  den,  and  a  Church,  in  honor 
of  St.  Peter,  now  crowns  the  spot,  and  monks  keep  vigil 
where  robbers  made  night  hideous  with  their  revelry. 

A  few  paces  to  the  right  is  a  small  chapel,  which  the  fin- 
ger of  tradition  points  out  as  built  over  the  spot  where 
Peter,  the  Prince  of  the  Apostles  and  first  Pope,  ended  by 
a  most  glorious  martyrdom,  a  life  spent  in  the  service  of 
his  Master.  Like  the  Saviour,  who  was  taken  to  the  sum- 
mit of  Calvary,  in  order  that  all  might  witness  His 
sufferings,  so  the  chief  of  His  Apostles  was  made  to  ascend 
the  rugged  bights  of  the  Janiculum,  that  Rome  entire  might 
see  him  die — the  prelude,  as  was  vainly  thought,  to  the 
total  extirpation  of  the  Christian  name. 

There,  surrounded  by  his  executioners,  and  by  a  chosen 
band  of  those  warriors  who  had  made  the  Roman  eagles  a 
terror  to  mankind,  the  J^ed  Apostle  had  no  favors  to  ask, 
and  no  tears  to  shed  for  the  life  he  was  soon  to  lose.  The 
circumstances,  however,  recalled  memories  of  other  days. 

His  own  infidelity,  in  the  house  of  Pilate,  came  to  mind, 
with  a  vividness  that  caused  the  tears  to  flow  in  abundance. 
Even  the  stony  hearts  of  those  legionaries  were  moved  to 
pity,  and  the  opportunity  was  gladly  embraced  of  asking 
him  again  to  renounce  Christ,  and  sacrifice  to  the  gods  of 
Rome. 

But  his  thoughts  were  on  other  things,  and  his  silence 
only  intensified  expectation,  for  he  did  not  heed  the  prof- 
fered clemency.  It  was  not  until  he  had  professed  his 
un worthiness  to  die,  as  his  Master,  with  head  ak)ft,  that  all 
hopes  of  release  were  abandoned.  Then  the  spirit  of  the 
demon   took   possession  of   his   executioners,   and   having 


ALETHAURION.  245 

nailed  his  hands  and  feet  to  the  cross,  they  raised  him  in 
the  air  with  his  head  to  the  earth. 

A  few  more  hours  had  passed — the  labors  of  the  fisher- 
man were  ended,  and  his  tears  forever  dried.  His  chair  on 
earth  became  vacant,  as  he  took  his  place  with  Stephen 
and  others  who  had  washed  their  robes  white  in  the  blood 
of  the  Lamb. 

With  the  present  we  bring  to  a  conclusion  the  question 
of  the  coming  of  St.  Peter  to  Rome.  There  are  only  a 
few,  and  indeed,  as  they  appear  to  the  writer,  exceedingly 
weak  objections  that  can  be  urged  against  what  has  be6n 
said.  Thus,  e.  g.,  persons  have  attempted  to  show,  from 
the  Acts  of  the  Apostles,  that  Peter  could  not  have  been 
in  Rome,  because  it  is  stated  that  he  was  at  Lydda,  Joppa, 
Jerusalem,  and  some  other  places  in  Asia,  at  certain  times, 
probably  some  six  or  eight  altogether. 

Now,  by  the  same  kind  of  logic,  it  would  be  the  easiest 
matter  imaginable  to  prove  that  Archbishop  Purcell  was 
never  in  Cincinnati,  or  that  Archbishop  Spalding  was  never 
in  Louisville. 

Another  objection  is  found  in  the  fact  that  Paul  in  his 
letter  to  the  Romans,  makes  no  mention  of  Peter.  This 
is,  at  best,  only  a  negative  argument,  and  proves  nothing. 
Many  excellent  reasons  might  be  given  why  Paul  made  no 
mention  of  him  ;  one  of  which  is  that  Peter  might  have 
been  absent  from  the  city  at  that  particular  time  that  Paul 
wrote  to  the  Romans.  Certainly,  the  fact  that  a  man  is 
bishop  of  a  city  does  not  oblige  him  to  never  stir 
outside  of  it. 

St.  Paul  will  be  our  subject  in  the  next  chapter. 


246  ALETHAURION. 

CHAPTER  LVIII. 


SAUL. 


Saul,  or  St.  Paul,  as  he  is  now  called,  was  born  of  Jew- 
ish parents,  in  the  city  of  Tarsus,  in  Cilicia,  a  province  in 
the  southeastern  part  of  Asia  Minor. 

■  The  exact  date  of  his  bii'th  has  not  been  handed  down  ; 
but,  from  the  fact  thathe/v^a^  a  youth  (adolescens)  at  the 
time  of  Stephen's  death,  in  which  he  had  a  hand,  we  may 
conclude  that  his  advent  into  the  world  must  have  been 
some   ten   or  a   dozen  years   after  that   of    the     Saviour. 

He  was  of  the  tribe  of  Bexjamin,  and  to  him  commenta- 
tors refer  the  prophecy  of  Jacob,  where  he  says,  when 
about  to  die  ;  **  Benjamin,  a  ravenous  wolf  in  the  morn- 
ing shall  eat  the  prey,  and  in  the  evening  shall  divide  the 
spoil." 

His  mind,  from  early  youth,  took  a  religious  turn,  nor 
was  he  content  with  being  a  simple  believer ;  he  sought 
after  the  highest  perfection. 

There  was  at  that  time  amono^  the  Jews,  a  relis^ious  order, 
the  members  of  which  were  famous  far  and  near  for  their 
learning  and  piety. 

They  were  called  Pharisees  ;  and,  what  there  was  of  sol- 
emn godliness  not  to  be  found  among  them,  was  thought 
scarcely  worth  looking  after. 

The  origin  of  this  blessed  sect  is  vailed  in  obscurity.  Some 
authors  date  its  beginning  from  the  time  of  Esdras,  others 
bring  it  down  even  to  the  time  of  Schammai  and  Hillel^ 
two  celebrated  doctors  of  the  law,  who  lived  in  the  days  of 
Herod. 

But,  if  credit  is  to  be  given  to  Josephus,  and  we  see  no 
reason  for  refusing  it,  in  a  matter  of  this  kind,  certain  it  is 
that  the  origin  of  the  Pharisees  dates  further  back  than  the 
time  of  Herod. 


% 


ALETHAURION.  247 

They  were  called  Pharisees,  frqm  the  Hebrew  word 
pharez^  which  signifies  separation,  because  in  dignity,  in 
sanctity,  in  manners  and  customs  they  held  themselves  aloof 
from  the  common  herd. 

They  also  affected  to  lead  lives  of  celibacy,  fasted  twice 
in  the  week,  gave  tithes  beyond  what  the  law  prescribed, 
prayed  at  the  corners  of  the  streets,  helped  the  poor  under 
circumstances  where  public  attention  would  be  called  to  the 
act,  and  were  continually  harping  on  unimportant  observan- 
ces, and  at  the  same  time  neglecting  the  weightier  works  of 
the  law. 

These  same  Pharisees  we  know,  from  the  New  Testament, 
to  have  been  a  set  of  consummate  scoundrels,  rendered  for- 
midable by  their  perfect  organization,  as  well  as  secrecy  in 
dealing  with  outsiders. 

We  must  not  imagine,  however,  that  every  one  who 
joined  them,  was  bad  or  viciously  inclined.  On  the  con- 
trary, so  far  as  outward  looks  were  concerned,  they  were 
pinks  of  perfection ;  and  it  may  have  been  that  they  had 
more  applicants  for  admission  than   they  chose   to   receive. 

A  learned  and  fiery  zealot,  however,  like  Saul  of  Tarsus, 
could  readily  gain  admittance  into  a  society  managed  by  a 
pack  of  unscrupulous  and  ambitious  men,  such  as  were  the 
leaders  among  the  Pharisees. 

They  could  put  him  at  whatever  required  tact  and  courage 
to  execute,  advance  him  if  it  suited  their  purposes  ;  and,  in 
case  he  turned  out  honest  and  conscientious,  they  could  ex- 
pel him  from  the  society,  as  one  not  possessed  of  the  spirit 
of  mortification  and  obedience. 

On  reaching  Jerusalem,  there  was  added  to  Saul's  natural 
impetuosity  of  character  a  new  ingredient. 

The  Christian  religion  was  then  beginning  to  take  root  in 
the  Holy  City,  and  those  veteran  enemies  of  the  Saviour, 
the  Scribes  and  Pharisees,  found  no  difficulty  in  turning  to 
account  Saul's  restless  energy. 

The  effects  were  at  once  apparent.     Stephen,  one  of  the 


248  ALETHAUPJON. 

seven  deacons,  innocent  of  soul,  and  of  angelic  appearance, 
was  dragged  outside  of  the  walls  and  brutally  murdered  with 
stones. 

Saul  was  not  yet  satisfied  ;  he  still  ravaged  the  Church, 
and  entering  houses  hauled  away  men  and  women  and  put 
them  in  prison. 

Not  content  with  making  things  red  hot  in  Jerusalem,  he 
went  to  the  high  priest  and  asked  for  letters  to  the  rulers  of 
the  synagogues  in  Damascus  ;  in  order  to  capture  as  many 
there  as  possible  and  bring  them  back,  bound  hand  and  foot, 
to  the  holy  Zion. 

The  High  Priest  and  Pharisees  willingly  gave  the  letters  ; 
as  much  out  of  a  desire  to  get  rid  of  Saul  himself  as  through 
hatred  of  the  *'  Nazarenes." 

They  feared  that  his  too  great  zeal  might  lead  to  mischief  ; 
to  an  investigation  by  the  civil  authorities,  and  that  their 
own  rascalities  might  thereby  be  brought  to  the  surface. 

Hence,  they  sent  him  off,  with  an  open  blessing,  and  a  se- 
cret wish  that  he  might  break  his  neck  or  get  drowned  be- 
fore returning. 

On  the  way,  near  Damascus,  the  Saviour  appeared  to  him 
and  changed  his  heart ;  from  a  persecutor  he  became  an 
Apostle,  and  a  great  one — as  we  shall  see  in  a  future  chapter. 


CHAPTER  LTX. 


ST.    PAUL. 


We  saw,  in  the  last  chapter,  how  Saul,  the  Pharisee,  the 
Jewish  zealot  and  persecutor,  was  miraculously  converted 
to  the  Catholic  Church  ;  of  which  he  became  such  a  shining 
light.  The  spot  where  this  change  took  place  is  stili  pointed 
out  to  the  wayfarer,  as  he  approaches  Damascus. 

The  house  of  Judas,  where  he  was  visited  by  Ananias,  is 
still  to  be  seen  in  the  same  city  ;  though  the  apartment  once 


ALETHAURION.  249 

occupied  by  the  Apostle,  is  now  some  ten  or  a  dozen  feet 
below  the  street.  How  wonderful,  that  a  house,  remark- 
able only  for  the  fact,  that  it  was  the  one  in  which  Paul 
was  baptized,  should  have  been  preserved  to  our  day ; 
whereas,  hundreds  of  others,  then  in  the  city,  have,  one 
after  another,  gone  to  ruin.  *'  The  just  man  shall  be  in 
eternal  remembrance,"  say  the  scriptures;  and  facts,  like 
this,  show  that  the  prophecy  is,  to  some  extent,  fulfilled 
even  in  this  world. 

Damascus  has,  at  the  present  day,  a  population  of  about 
one  hundred  and  thirty  thousand,  and  we  may  presume  that 
it  was  equally  as  large,  may  be  more  so,  in  the  days  of  St. 
Paul  ;  for  where  the  Sultan's  horse  treads  there  grows  no 
grass. 

There  are  no  Protestants,  of  native  growth,  in  it;  nor, 
in  fact,  in  any  of  the  oriental  cities. 

Missionary  societies,  both  in  this  country  and  in  England, 
send  preachers  out  there,  but  they  make  no  impression  on 
the  native  Catholic  population  ;  and  as  to  the  conversion  of 
a  Turk,  the  average  English  speaking  preacher  has  too  much 
sense  to  risk  his  life  in  such  an  undertaking:. 

Is  it  not  astonishing,  that  heretics  are  not  converted  to 
the  true  faith,  on  visiting  a  city  like  Damascus?  They  read 
in  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles,  of  how  St.  Paul,  after  his 
baptism,  in  the  house  of  Judas,  preached  the  gospel  in  the 
city,  and,  no  doiibt,  converted  many ;  they  know,  or  ought 
to,  that,  in  the  early  ages,  the  faith  grew  and  increased 
there,  as  elsewhere  throughout  the  east ;  and  that  the  pres- 
■ent  Christian  inhabitants  are  the  lineal  descendants  of  those 
to  whom  the  Apostles  preached. 

Now,  when  a  heretic  goes  there,  and  finds  no  difference 
in  belief,  between  the  native  Catholics  of  Damascus  and 
those  he  has  met  at  home,  does  it  not  require  the  quintes- 
sence of  stupidity  not  to  see  the  point? 

How  comes  it  that  those  Catholics  of  Damascus  believe 
exactly  as  we  do  here  in  America?     Did  we  teach   them? 


250  ALETHAURION. 

No  ;  but  they  and  we  have  received  the  faith  from  the  same 
truthful  source — from  the  Apostles  ;  and  they,  as  well  as 
ourselves,  have  kept  pure  and  undefiled,  what  was  first 
taught ;  therefore  we  believe  alike. 

It  is  true,  there  are  some  of  the  natives  in  those  ancient 
cities  where  the  Apostles  preached,  who  do  not  believe  as 
we  do,  and  still  bear  the  name  of  Christians.  Such  are  the 
Greek  and  Armenian  schismatics,  and  others  of  kindred  ilk. 
But  we  can  tell  the  exact  time  when  each  took  the  "  new 
departure  ;"  and  we  can  name  the  men  who  were  leaders  in 
the  movement. 

They  have  changed ;  we  still  adhere  to  the  old  way 
pointed  out  by  the  Apostles  and  by  apostolic  men. 

These  ideas  have  been  suggested  by  the  very  name  of 
that  old  city  of  which  we  are  speaking. 

Let  us  return  to  our  subject.  We  are  told  that,  after  he 
had  seen  our  Saviour,  he  became  physically  blind,  inso- 
much that  he  had  to  be  led  to  the  house  already  spoken  of. 
There  he  remained  three  days,  fasting  and  praying,  but 
yet  deprived  of  sight.  At  length  Ananias,  a  disciple  who 
lived  in  the  city,  having  been  forewarned  in  a  vision,  came,, 
and  having  placed  his  hands  on  the  head  of  Paul  the  scales 
dropped  from  his  eyes  and  he  saw,  and  standing  up  was 
baptized. 

Here  it  may  be  well  to  observe  that  the  baptism  given 
must  have  been  either  by  aspersion  or  effusion.  All  the  cir- 
cumstances lead  to  the  conclusion.  Let  us  go  there  in  imag- 
ination. Here  we  are  in  a  room,  some  sixteen  or  eighteen 
feet  square  ;  St.  Paul  lies  on  a  bed,  unable  to  see  ;  Ananl^s 
enters,  lays  his  hands  on  Paul,  tells  him  that  Christ  had 
sent  him  there  ;  the  scales  drop  from  Paul's  eyes  ;  he  sees, 
stands  upon  the  floor  and  is  baptized. 

We  must  remember  that  in  the  houses  of  the  Jews  there 
were  at  the  doors  one  or  more  water  vessels  for  purposes  of 
purification,  and  it  was  out  of  these  in  all  probability 
that  Ananias  took  the   water  with  which  he   administered 


ALETHAURION.  251 

the  sacrament.  It  does  not  appear  that  St.  Paul  left  the 
house,  and  it  would  be  stretching  the  imagination  too  far 
to  suppose  that  this  poor  Jew  kept  a  hogshead  of  water 
always  ready  for  his  guests  to  practice  swimming  in. 

Yet,  this  is  not  a  question  of  great  importance,  because, 
in  the  true  Church  the  three  methods  of  conferring  baptism, 
viz  :  by  sprinkling  or  aspersion,  by  pouring  or  effusion,  and 
by  dipping  or  immersion,  are  all  recognized  as  valid  and 
have  been  in  use  from  the  earliest  ages.  If  we  compare 
baptism  to  the  death  of  the  "Old  Man"  in  us,  one  can  see 
that  it  makes  little  difference  in  w^hat  way  such  a  death  is 
brought  about  as  the  effect  is  all  the  same. 

When  a  man  is  dead,  it  is  af  no  further  importance  to 
him  nor  to  the  community  whether  it  was  by  arsenic,  strych- 
nine, or  by  prussic  acid,  or  from  the  fang  of  a  rattler  he  was 
taken  off. 

Let  it  suffice  for  the  present  to  say,  that  so  far  as  those 
three  methods  are  concerned  the  question  hinges  on  the 
meaning  to  be  given  to  the  Greek  word  haptizo.  By  Pagan 
writers  it  is  used   to  signify  :  I  dip,  I  wash,  I  dye  or  color. 

Let  us  see  in  which  of  these  senses   the  Saviour  and  the 

Apostles  used  it.     Take  the  words  of  the  great  commission 

and   make  the   proper   substitutions.     Christ    says  to    the 

Apostles : 

"Going  forth,  teach  all  nations,  baptizing  them  in  the  name  of  the 
Father,  and  of  the  Son,  and  of  the  Holy  Ghost."— [Matt,  xxviii,  19. 

Now,  put  the  word  dipping  instead  of  baptizing  and  see 
whether  there  be  any  connection  between  the  external  act 
and  the  chanofe  that  is  wrouo^ht  in  the  soul.  None  what- 
ever. 

In  the  next  place  substitute  for  baptizing,  the  word  wash- 
ing, and  then  the  text  reads  thus  :  < 'Going  forth,  teach  all 
nations,  washing  them  (of  their  sins),  in  the  name  of  the 
Father,  and  of  the  Son  and  of  the  Holy  Ghost."  Here 
there  is  a  connection  between  the  external  ablution  and  the 
internal  washing  of  the  soul  from  the  filth  of  s-in. 


252  ALETHAURIOX. 

It  would  appear,  then,  that  the  Saviour  and  the  Apostles 
used  the  ^^ovdhaptizo  in  the  sense  of  to  wash,  and  as  washing 
can  be  done  in  any  of  the  three  ways,  they  are  admitted  as 
valid  by  the  Catholic  Church,  provided  no  mistake  is  made 
in  the/br?7z,  and  the  minister  has  the  proper  intention. 

After  Saul  had  thus  got  washed  himself,  he  undertook, 
with  his  usual  impetuosity  and  energy,  to  recommend  the 
same  to  others.  With  what  success  we  will  see  in  a  future 
chapter. 


CHAPTER   LX. 


FLIGHT  IX  A  BASKET. 

"  The  man  that  is  in  battle  slain, 
Will  never  live  to  fight  again ; 
But  he  that  fights  and  runs  away, 
May  live  to  fight  another  day.'' 

Thus  spoke  some  great  poet  of  the  past ;  and  it  will  be 
readily  admitted  there  is  a  deal  of  truth  in  his  verse. 

A  man  who  has  had  his  head  taken  off  by  a  bomb-shell 
will  certainly  not  do  much  fighting  after  that  event.  In  the 
second  place,  it  is  no  less  clear  that  when  one  has  succeeded 
in  legging  it  off,  safe,  from  a  battle-field,  he  may  at  some 
future  time  get  over  his  fright,  and  be  induced  to  try  the 
foe  once  more. 

The  great  moral  lesson,  however,  which  the  poet  teaches 
us  is  this  :  That  when  we  happen  to  be  in  a  house  that  is  fall- 
ing, and  the  owner  will  not  allow  us  to  "prop  it  up,  and 
make  it  wind  proof  for  the  future,  it  is  better  to  leave,  than 
stay  and  be  crushed  in  the  ruins. 

Such,  also,  must  have  been  the  sentiments  of  Paul,  not 
many  weeks  after  his  baptism  at  Damascus.  Having  be- 
come convinced  that  Judaism  had  ceased  to  be  the  true  re- 
ligion ;  that  its  commission   from  above   had  expired ;  and 


ALETHAURION.  253 

that  a  new  order  of  things  had  begun,  he  withdrew  from  the 
falling  house,  and  devoted  his  energies  to  the  spread  of  the 
gospel  of  CHFasT,  and  the  building  up  of  the  Catholic 
Church. 

Just  as  soon  as  he  had  recovered  strength  enough,  he  ap- 
peared in  the  synagogues  and  openly  maintained  that  Christ, 
whom  the  Jews  had  crucified,  was  the  Son  of  God. 

Many  at  first,  thought  he  had  lost  his  reason  ;  but  when 
these  came  to  dispute  with  him  on  the  subject  they  found 
their  mistake — hatred  took  the  place  of  pity  ;  and  they  re- 
solved to  put  out  of  the  way,  by  foul  means,  a  man,  whose 
eloquence  and  genius  they  had  despaired  of  being  able  to 
withstand.  A  conspiracy  was  formed,  and  some  got  orders 
to  watch  the  gates  of  the  city,  lest  they  might  escape. 
Matters  were  now  becoming  as  warm  for  Saul  himself  as 
he,  so  short  a  time  before  had  made  them  for  others. 

But  his  day  had  not  come  ;  he  had  yet  to  go  before  the 
Gentiles,  and  before  kings,  to  suffer  great  things  for  the 
name  of  Christ.  Hence,  while  the  Jews  kept  watch,  with 
bludgeons,  at  the  gates,  some  faithful  few  had  planned  his 
escape.  His  flight  from  Damascus  had  not  the  pomp  and 
circumstance  of  hi^  approach  to  the  city,  and  but  few  of 
those  who  had  known  him  previously  would  have  even  once 
thought,  on  seeing  a  basket  descend  from  the  wall  at  mid- 
night, that  Saul  was  in  it. 

But  he  was  a  changed  man.  That  natural  virtue  of  cour- 
age which  he  possessed  in  such  an  eminent  degree,  was  now 
tempered  with  Christian  prudence,  and  he  felt  he  would  not 
be  justified  in  exposing  to  danger,  from  private  malice,  a 
life  that  might  be  of  much  public  utility. 

**  When  they  persecute  you  in  one  city,  fly  ye  into  another," 
was  the  counsel  of  the  Saviour  to  the  Apostles,  and  we  find 
them  following  the  advice,  whenever  it  was  convenient  to 
do  so.  It  is  true  they  had  courage  in  the  highest  degree  ; 
but  they  did  not  seek  the  danger,  as  the  heroes  of  this  world 
sometimes  do,  out  of   a  spirit  of  vain-glory.     They  suffered 


254  ■  ALETHAURION. 

with  fortitude,  where  pain  was  unavoidable,  but  they  did 
not  seek  death,  except  when  it  stood  in  the  path  to  duty. 

What  cahn  and  solemn  grandeur  do  we  not  find  in  the 
sufferings  of  the  Apostles,  and  the  other  martyrs  and  con- 
fessors of  the  Catholic  Church,  and  how  forcibly  does  it 
not  contrast  with  the  sullen  impenitence  of  heretics  when 
expiating  their  crimes. 

The  life  of  Paul,  after  his  conversion  to  the  Catholic 
faith,  may  be  likened  to  a  beautiful  heroic  poem  ;  the  first 
line  of  which  is  the  key-note  to  what  follows.  His  entire 
subsequent  life  was  only  a  repetition  of  his  first  experience 
in  Damascus.  Great  energy  in  advocating  the  gospel  cause 
was  met  with  corresponding  obstinancy  on  the  part  of  the 
Jews,  and  with  lofty  disdain  by  those  who  stood  foremost 
amongst  the  Gentiles.  Flight  and  apparent  defeat  gener- 
ally marked  the  close  of  his  career,  in  those  cities  in  which 
he  labored.  The  enemies  of  the  gospel  sought  to  take  his 
life  wherever  he  went,  because  they  felt  the  vigor  of  his 
blows,  and  knew  there  was  not  a  white  feather  in  his 
plumage.  If  Paul  had  been  a  putty-faced  sort  of  a  man, 
he  \vould  never  have  had  so  much  opposition  to  encounter. 
He  might,  in  that  case,  have  settled  downi  quietly  in  Damas- 
cus, and  dying,  much  thought  of  by  Pagans,  have  left  after 
him  a  little  knot  of  timorous,  pigeon-livered  Catholics, 
thankful  for  being  allowed  to  live,  and  afraid  to  say  they 
had  souls  of  their  own. 

Those  men  whom  we  call  the  Apostles,  were  giants  ;  and 
they  left  as  their  immediate  successors,  a  race  of  giants. 
By  word,  and  especially  by  example,  they  taught  men  not 
only  to  love  justice,  but  to  hate  iniquity.  They  infused 
into  the  parent  the  spirit  of  love  for  truth,  and  fe^ir  of  con- 
tamination from  error.  Thus,  according  to  the  order 
established  by  God,  the  pastor  influenced  the  parent,  and 
the  parent  influenced  the  child.  Some  good  people  of 
modern  times,  write,  speak  and  act  with  a  blindness  and  a 


ALETHAURION.  255 

-subversion  of  first  principles  that  is  amazing.  They  at- 
tempt to  reverse  the  order — to  make  Jack  a  good  boy,  and 
then  firet  him  to  convert  his  daddv.  Instead  of  takins^  the 
bull  by  the  horns,  they  get  hold  of  him  by  the  tail. 

The  simplest  lessons  are  sometimes  the  hardest  to  be 
learned ;  and  as  we  ought  not  to  close  our  eyes  to  facts,  so 
neither  ought  we  refuse  to  have  recourse  to  first  principles, 
where  facts  are  against  an  existing  idea  or  system. 

As  a  rule,  no  authority  on  earth  can,  with  success,  take" 
the  place  of  the  parent's.  Any  tampering  with  it  upsets 
the  order  established  by  God,  and  the  results  will  not  be, 
generally  speaking,  satisfactory. 

We  have  greater  facilities  now  for  the  spread  of  knowl- 
edge than  were  in  the  days  of  the  Apostles,  and  yet  it  may 
be  doubted  whether,  taken  by  the  average,  the  Catholics 
are  any  better  instructed  now,  in  matters  appertaining  to 
faith  and  morals,  than  they  were  at  the  end  of  the  first 
century,  when  the  Apostles  had  passed  away. 

Preaching,  and  from  a  solid  type,  was  then  practiced ; 
and  we  can  see  from  the  homilies  of  some  of  the  early 
Fathers  that  they  addressed  congregations  that  must  have 
stood  high  in  theological  knowledge.  We  mean  no  disre- 
spect. But  how  is  it  now?  It's  all  about  the  fair,  and  the 
pic-nic,  and  the  promenade  concert ;  ending  with  an  exhor- 
tation to  be  good  people,  and  not  fail  to  be  on  the  grounds 
at  the  proper  time.  God  is  not  honored  by  means  that  are 
questionable. 

Thus  we  do  not  save  our  bacon,  because  it  is  not  salted 
with  the  word  of  life.  After  the  sacrifice  and  the  sacra- 
ments, next  comes  preaching,  or  a  clear  and  easy  exposition 
of  some  dogma  or  truth  of  our  faith.  Where  this  practice 
ends  indifference  begins ;  and  the  schoolmaster,  though 
a  good  man  in  his  place,  will  not  be  able  to  supply  the 
deficiency. 

Following  up  this  line  of  thought,  on  the  first  principles, 
we  would  say  that  no  Catholic  family  should  be  without  a 


256  AT.ETHAURION. 

Catholic  newspaper,  and  no  Catholic  newspaper  without  hav- 
ing, at  least,  one  column  a  week  given  to  an  explanation  of 
some  doctrine  of  the  Church.  The  field  is  large,  and  there 
are  abundance  of  flowers  to  make  the  nosegay. 

Thus  we  have  rambled  off  a  good  ways  from  Damascus  ; 
but,  in  our  next  we  will  return  to  the  point. 


CHAPTER  LXI. 


THE   WANDERER. 

Having  been  compelled,  by  the  force  of  circumstances,  to 
leave  Damascus,  Paul  next  passed  into  Arabia.  But  we 
have  no  certain  knowledge  of  what  happened  to  him  there, 
nor  is  it  stated  in  the  scriptures  that  he  went  to  preach  to 
the  Arabs. 

Hence,  we  may  at  this  point,  give  expression  to  some 
speculations,  as  to  how  he  may  have  employed  his  time. 

Arabia  is  a  country  that  then,  as  now,  abounded  in  vast 
sandy  solitudes,  fit  places  where  one  might  give  himself  up 
entirely  to  prayer  and  contemplation. 

What  more  natural,  therefore,  than  that  Paul,  after  his 
late  experience  at  Damascus,  should  have  felt  more  keenly, 
the  magnitude,  and  the  dangerous  character  of  the  work 
that  lay  before  him  ;  and  that  he  should  have  retired  to  the 
desert  to  give  himself  up  for  a  time  to  prayer,  as  a  prepara- 
tion, before  commencing  anew  the  work  of  an  evangelist. 

To  retire  to  the  desert  was  a  favorite  practice  with  some 
of  the  holy  men  among  the  Jews,  from  Moses  and  Elias, 
down  ;  and  Paul  could  not,  at  that  time,  have  been  ignor- 
ant of  the  fact  that  the  Saviour  himself,  before  having  be- 
gun his  public  career,  fasted  and  prayed  forty  days  in  the 
desert.  Hence,  it  is  at  least  highly  probable  that  his  life 
in  Arabia  was  not  that  of  an  evangelist  but  rather  of  a 
hermit. 


ALETHAUKIOy.  257 

After  having  remained  away  about  three  years,  he  again 
returned  to  Damascus,  and  from  there  proceeded  to  Jeru- 
salem. 

Before  following  him  to  his  other  fields  of  labor,  we  will 
touch  on  a  question  that  may  interest  the  reader.  It  is  gen- 
erally believed  that  Paul  received  a  knowledge  of  the  truths 
and  mysteries  of  the  faith,  not  from  any  of  the  Apostles  or 
disciples,  but  from  the  Saviour  directly. 

Indeed  he  tells  us  himself,  Galatians,  i,  12,  that  he  did 
not  receive  the  gospel  from  man,  nor  did  he  even  learn  it, 
but  had  it  by  revelation  of  Jesus  Christ. 

It  becomes  interesting  to  inquire  at  what  period  in  his  life 
this  knowledge  was  communicated  to  him,  in  the  extraordin- 
ary manner  spoken  of. 

Most  persons  imagine  that  it  at  once  came  with  the  Sav- 
iour's appearance  to  him  on  approaching  Damascus.  Yet  a 
careful  perusal  of  the  narrative,  as  given  in  Acts  ix,  will 
convince  any  one  that  it  was  not  then  the  mind  of  Saul 
was  illuminated. 

When  he  asked  what  he  should  do  on  that  occasion,  he 
was  told,  that  it  w^ould  be  made  known  to  him  in  the  city. 
But  we  must  not  think  that  the  instructions  given  by 
Ananias  were  complete,  or,  that  a  fuller  revelation  was  not 
necessary ;  taking  into  consideration  the  work  that,  in  the 
designs  of  God,  he  was  to  perform. 

Paul,  himself,  tells  us  (ii  Corinthians,  xii,)  that,  above 
fourteen  years  previous,  he  was  taken  up  to  heaven,  and 
that  he  heard  secret  words,  which  it  is  not  granted  to  man 
to  utter. 

It  was  on  this  occasion,  we  presume,  that  he  received  that 
plentitude  of  knowledge,  w^hich  fitted  him  for  an  Apostle. 

But,  some  one  may  ask :  At  what  period  of  his  life  was 
he  thus  favored  with  the  vision  of  the  celestial  kingdom  ? 
We  may  say,  first  of  all,  that  in  regard  to  these  apostolic 
rosebushes,  the  very  best  chronologists  are  not  entirely  reli- 
able, nor  able  to  steer  us  clear  of  all  thorns  of  uncertainty. 


258  ALETHAURION. 

The  epistle  above  named,  in  which  mention  is  made  of 
the  vision,  is  said  to  have  been  written  twenty-four  years 
after  the  Saviour's  death;  and,  as  the  conversion  of  St. 
Paul  is  said  to  have  taken  place  about  one  year  after  that 
event,  consequently  it  would  not  have  been  until  the  ninth 
year  after  his  conversion  that  he  was  taken  up  to  heaven. 

The  writer  does  not  wish  to  pass  for  an  innovator  in  these 
pages,  which  are  principally  for  the  instruction  of  those  who 
may  not  have  time  nor  patience  to  wade  through  the  original 
authorities. 

But  there  is  a  temptation  here  offered  to  propose  a  theory, 
on  the  subject,  that  certainly  has  souie  probability  about  it 
and  one  that  will  differ  with  the  generally  accepted  chro- 
nology in  a  matter  of  only  six  years.  The  assumptions 
may,  it  is  true,  be  regarded  as  gratuitous,  but  what  they 
lack  in  authority  they  will  gain  in  symmetry. 

May  we  not  say,  that  after  Saul  had  left  his  basket,  out- 
side the  walls  of  Damascus,  he  was  led  by  the  spirit  into 
the  deserts  of  Arabia,  and  that  he  there,  for  the  space  of 
three  years,  gave  himself  up  to  fasting,  to  prayer,  and  to 
contemplation  ;  until,  at  the  end  of  that  time,  when  he  had 
done  penance  for  his  sins,  he  was  taken  up  to  heaven,  where, 
at  the  foot  of  the  throne,  he  received  from  Christ  himself, 
a  knowledge  of  all  those  sublime  truths  of  the  Catholic 
faith,  which  he  was,  in  after  time,  to  preach  to  the  Jew 
first,  and  then  to  the  Greek  and  to  the  barbarian. 

That  he  was  taught  by  the  Saviour  himself  is  a  matter  of 
certainty,  and,  that  this  instruction  was  given  before  he  was 
commissioned  to  teach  others,  is  certainly  in  consonance 
.with  the  ways  of  Divine  Providence. 

That  Paul,  after  having  left  Damascus,  went  into  some 
place  if  retirement,  receives  further  contirmation  from  the 
fact  that  when  he  returned  to  Jerusalem,  the  rest  of  the 
faithful,  or  a  high  percentage  of  them,  w^ere  still  afraid  of 
him,  not  being  certain  of  his  conversion. 

Had  he,  during  those  three  years  that  elapsed  between  his 


ALETHAURION.  259 

departure  from  Damascus  and  his  return  for  the  second 
time  to  that  place,  been  engaged  in  preaching  the  gospel, 
there  would  have  been  no  doubt  in  the  minds  of  the  brethren 
that  he  was  a  safe  man  to  trust. 

But,  as  the  matter  stood,  it  required  some  explanations 
from  Barnabas  to  quiet  their  nerves,  and  convince  them 
that  all  was  right.  Scarcely  had  he  rested  in  Jerusalem, 
after  his  journey,  when  the  zeal,  the  same  old  mania  for  dis- 
putation took  possession  of  him.  This  time  it  was  with  the 
Grecians  that  were  in  Jerusalem,  and  the  result  was  the 
same  as  before. 

Unable  to  resist  his  loo:ic,  thev  sous^ht  to  kill  him.  So, 
in  order  to  save  his  life,  the  brethren  took  him  out  of  the 
city,  first  to  Cesarea,  and  then  to  Tarsus,  his   native  town. 

His  deeds  after  leavinsr  Tarsus  will  form  the  orround  work 
of  our  next. 


CHAPTER  LXn. 


SAUL  S    ORDINATION. 

After  a  stay  of  fifteen  days,  Saul  was  compelled  to  beat 
a  hasty  retreat  from  Jerusalem.  He  next  went  to  Tarsus, 
his  native  city,  but  of  his  missionary  life  there  we  have  no 
special  mention.  No  doubt  he  displayed  the  -same  zeal  in 
the  place  of  his  birth,  as  elsewhere,  though  he  possibly  may 
not  have  made  many  converts  to  the  Catholic  faith,  for  no 
one  is  a  prophet  in  his  own  country. 

Now,  It  so  happened,  that  while  Paul  was  at  Damascus,  * 
and  in  Arabia,  apersecution  raged  in  Jerusalem,  and  through- 
out Judea,  against  the  Catholics.  Many  were  compelled  to 
fly  from  the  province,  and  seek  refuge  in  distant  cities. 
Not  a  few  found  shelter  in  Antioch,  the  capital  of  Syria,  and 
at  the  time,  a  place  of  great  commerce   and  importance. 

Those  fugitives  were  not  idle,  while  in  Antioch,  but  sought 


260  ALETHAUEION. 

to  advance  the  gospel   cause   in   every   way  possible   and 
legitimate. 

Hence,  Avithin  a  short  time,  a  good  many  of  the  citizens 
had  either  embraced,  or  were  well  disposed  toward  the  new 
religion.  When  news  of  these  things  came  to  the  Church  in 
Jerusalem,  Barnabas  was  sent  to  take  observations. 

Having  arrived  in  Antioch,  he  found  that  many  had 
indeed  embraced  the  faith,  and  that  there  was  a  splendid 
field  open  and  ready  for  the  sickle.  Those  who  believed 
were  principally  from  that  class  that  usually  goes  under  the 
name  of  the  ''common  people."  Others,  who  pretended  to 
be  very  learned,  could  not,  of  course,  see  any  sense  at  all  in 
the  new  doctrines.  They  were  too  full  of  conceit  to  think 
there  was  anything  more  for  them  to  learn,  and  were  more 
disposed  to  give  than  to  take  instruction  of  any  kind. 

These  self-styled  philosophers  played  the  part  of  the  dog 
in  the  manger.  They  would  not  enter  the  Church  them- 
selves, and  their  refusal  to  do  so  kept  many  others  from  even 
examining  the  grounds  of  Catholic  doctrine. 

Barnabas  saw  at  a  glance  that,  in  order  to  have  good  suc- 
cess in  Antioch,  the  first  thing  necessary  was  to  lessen  the 
conceit  of- those  Pagan  philosophers,  who  set  themselves  up 
as  authorities  on  all  manner  of  subjects,  and  were,  in  truth, 
a  keen  set  of  rascals.  He  had  seen  enough  of  Saul  to  know 
that  he  was  precisely  the  man  most  needed  at  the  front,  to 
take  the  dust  out  of  Paganism,  and  show  how  thread-bare, 
even  moth-eaten,  a  ofarment  it  was.  So  he  started  at  once 
to  Tarsus,  and  having  found  Saul,  they  both  returned  to 
Antioch,  where  they  spent  one  whole  year  teaching  Catholic 
doctrine.  Such  was  their  success,  that  by  reason  of  the 
multitude  that  believed,  the  disciples  were  there  first  called 
Christians. 

They  did  not,  however,  go  into  a  committee  of  the  whole 
and  agree  to  call  themselves  Christians,  as  some  of  our 
neighbors  do  at  the  present  day,  but  they   ''  were  called 


ALETHAURION.  261 

Christians  "  by  the  Pagan  inhabitants  of  the  city,  and,  most 
likely,  the  word  was  first  used  as  a  term  of  reproach. 

Up  to  this  time  Saul  had  not  been  ordained  to  the  priest- 
hood of  the  new  law.  He  had,  indeed,  done  the  Church 
valuable  service  as  a  teacher,  but  he  had  not  the  power  to 
offer  sacrifice  to  the  Lord,  nor  to  remit  sin,  nor  to  anoint 
the  sick  with  oil,  nor  to  ordain  others  to  the  ministry.  He 
was,  in  fact,  one  of  the  laity.  And  his  example  shows  us 
what  services,  in  the  matter  of  teaching,  a  learned  and  zeal- 
ous member  of  the  laity  may  render  in  the  Church.  It  is 
certainly  not  customary,  at  the  present  day,  that  laymen 
should  preach  publicly  in  the  Churches,  on  matters  apper- 
taining to  faith  and  morals,  nor  is  it  necessary,  since  that, 
in  a  special  rnanner,  belongs  to  the  ordained  ministers. 

But  there  are  many  other  questions,  akin  to  the  faith, 
that  members  of  the  laity  might  ventilate  from  the  rostrum, 
or  through  the  columns  of  a  Catholic  weekly,  with  much 
profit  to  the  cause.  In  this  way  we  would,  to  some  extent, 
bring  back  again  that  fervor  of  apostolic  times,  when  all  had 
but  one  heart  and  one  mind,  and  one  idea  uppermost,  which 
was  the  propagation  of  the  truth  among  men. 

In  chapter  xiii  of  Acts,  we  have  an  account  given  of  the 
ordination  of  Saul  and  Barnabas.  This  was  done,  as  it 
also  now  is,  by  tlie  imposition  of  hands,  and  by  prayer,  of 
those  in  the  Church  who  have  power  and  authority  to  con- 
fer sacred  orders.  Some  of  our  sectarian  friends  have,  also, 
in  their  Churches,  what  they  call  ordination,  or  laying  on  of 
hands.  Such  ordination  is,  of  course,  null  and  void,  where 
there  is  not  real  apostolic  succession.  Let  us  explain,  briefly 
what  we  mean  by  this  : 

Apostolic  succession,  in  the  matter  of  sacred  orders,  con- 
sists in  the  transmission,  from  one  man  to  another,  and  from 
age  to  age,  of  the  ordinary  powers  given  by  Christ  to  the 
Apostles. 

Foremost  among  these  is  the  power  to   offer  sacrifice,  to 


2Q2  ALETHAURION. 

remit  sin,  and  in  general,  to  dispense  the  mysteries  of  God  ; 
in  other  words,  to  administer  the  sacrament. 

That  such  powers  were  given  by  Christ  to  them,  is  some- 
thing clearly  taught  in  the  scriptures,  and  also  held  by  the 
Catholic  Church  from  the  time  that  Christ  lived  until  now. 
That  the  Apostles  had  the  power  and  authority  of  sending 
others,  as  they  had  themselves  been  sent,  is  equally  clear. 
'*  As  the  Father  has  sent  Me,"  said  Christ,  *'  so,  also,  I 
send  you." 

Hence,  the  powers  spoken  of  above,  were  given  to  indi- 
vidual men,  and  by  them  again,  to  individual  men,  and  so 
on.  Now,  as  the  power  to  ordain  is  only  in  those  who  have 
the  complement  of  the  priesthood  or  eldership  in  the  Church 
hence  it  follows,  that,  where  hands  are  not  laid  on  by  a 
bishop,  there  is  no  ordination.  Christ  did  not  give  the 
powers,  spoken  of,  to  all  the  members  of  his  Church  i)i 
globo,  as  the  saying  is.  He  gave  them  only  to  the  Apostles, 
although  he  had,  at  the  same  time,  seventy-two  disciples. 
The  Apostles  in  turn,  did  not  ordain  every  one  a  bishop 
whom  they  had  received  into  the  Church  ;  they  picked  out 
faithful  men,  who  would  be  fit  to  teach  and  transmit  to 
others  what  they  had  themselves  received  ;  and  thus  the  suc- 
cession has  been  kept  up  to  our  own  day.  The  election  of 
a  man  to  be  a  deacon  or  an  elder  in  the  Church  amounts  to 
nothing,  unless  some  one  lays  hands  on  hhii  who  has  had 
hands  laid  upon  himself  already,  because  no  man  can  give 
what  he  does  not  possess.  The  citizens  of  Frogtown  may 
)inanimously  elect  Major  McMuddle  postmaster,  but, 
though  the  major  may  be  a  very  good  man,  and  may  have 
dodged  many  a  bullet,  in  his  country's  service,  yet,  without 
power  and  authority  from  the  President,  his  election  does 
not  orive  him  the  risrht  to  handle  the  United  States  mails  at 
Frogtown,  nor  any  where  else.  The  frogs  may  bear  testi- 
mony to  his  fitness  for  the  office,  but  they  cannot  make  him 
postmaster,  unless  they  first  succeed  in  making  Frogtown  a 
fr^e  and  independent  republic  or  monarchy,  bidding  defiance 


ALETHAURION.  263 

thereby,  to  the  constitution  and  laws  of  the  United  States, 
It  is  thus,  also,  in  the  Church. 

After  Saul's  ordination  be  left  Antioch,  and  entered  new 
fields  of  labor,  where  we  will  meet  him  in  a  future  chapter. 


CHAPTER  LXIII. 


CONCEENING  MAGIC. 

We  read  in  the  thirteenth  chapter  of  the  Acts  of  the  Apos- 
tles, that  when  Paul  and  Barnabas,  directed  by  the  Holy 
Ghost,  had  begun  to  preach  the  gospel  in  the  island  of  Cy- 
prus, they  were  opposed  by  a  Jewish  magician  named 
Elymas. 

This  man  had,  by  false  miracles,  and  great  pretensions, 
acquired  considerable  influence  with  the  pro-consul,  or  gover- 
nor. When  the  latter,  whose  name  was  Sergius  Paulus, 
wished  to  hear  the  gospel  preached,  the  magician  made  use 
of  all  his  craftiness  to  dissuade  him  from  listening  to  the 
Word,  or  believing  in  it.  Then  Paul,  full  of  the  Holy 
Ghost,  and  knowing  by  what  spirit  the  magician  was  moved, 
looking  upon  him,  said  : 

'•  O,  thou,  full  of  all  guile  and  of  all  deceit,  son  of  the  devil,  enemy  of 
all  justice,  thou  dost  not  cease  to  pervert  the  right  ways  of  the  Lord. 
And  now  behold  the  hand  of  the  Lord  upon  thee,  and  thou  shalt  beblmd, 
not  seeing  the  sun  for  a  time." 

After  Paul  had  spoken  these  words,  the  magician  was 
at  once  struck  blind,  and  he  went  about  seeking  some  one  to 
lead  him  by  the  hand.  This  miracle  was  the  occasion  of 
converting  the  governor,  and  also  affords  the  writer  a  pre- 
text for  branching  off  into  an  episode  on  magic.  Variety  is 
the  spice  of  life. 

Magic  is  the  art  of  performing  feats  that  appear  superna- 
tural, without  the  divine  agency,  and  a  magician  is  a  man 
who  performs  them.     Frequent  mention  is  made  of  this  art 


264  ALETHAURION. 

in  the  scriptures,  and  those  given  to  the  practice  of  it  are 
represented  as  odious  in  the  sight  of  God.  The  Catholic 
Church  has  also  pronounced  anathemas  against  them,  and 
in  times  past  they  were,  not  unfrequently,  punished  by  the 
civil  law. 

It  is  well  known  that  during  the  reign  of  Puritanism,  in 
New  England,  scores  of  people  were  put  to  death  for  having 
been  real  or  supposed  witches.  And  if  an  old  woman  had 
a  spite  against  a  neighbor,  which  she  could  not  in  other 
ways  gratify,  a  charge  of  witchcraft,  with  moderate  proof, 
would  do  more  towards  gaining  the  desired  end  than  a 
month's  tongue-lashing. 

Infidels,  who  do  not  admit  supernatural  agencies,  attempt 
to  hold  up  to  ridicule  what  has  been  handed  down  from 
remote  ages  on  this  subject.  But  facts  are  stubborn  argu- 
ments Ev^en  in  our  times,  many  things  happen,  which  can 
scarcely  be  referred  to  the  Supreme  Being,  and  which  yet 
transcend  human  power. 

Before  dividing  the  subject  into  appropriate  headings,  we 
will  examine,  in  general  terms,  into  the  origin  of  magic, 
and  then  give  some  of  those  things  that  the  inspired  writers 
and  the  Fathers  of  the  Church,  have  had  to  say  concerning 
it. 

There  can  scarcely  be  any  doubt  that  magic  is  an  offshoot 
of  Polytheism,  or  the  worship  of  many  false  gods.  The 
passions  attributed  to  those  deities,  the  likes  and  dislikes 
which  they  were  supposed  to  manifest,  the  influence  un- 
regulated by  the  perfections  of  the  true  God,  as  known  to 
us,  which  they  were  thought  to  exercise  over  the  things  of 
this  world,  naturally  produced  on  weak  human  nature  a 
pusillanimity,  akin  to  that  which  the  spaniel  manifests  on 
cominor  in  contact  with  a  full-blown  bull-doo^.  There  were 
among  the  Pagans,  not  only  many  superior  gods,  but  also  a 
variety  of  secondary  spirits,  capa])le  of  rendering  service, 
if  well  disposed,  or  of  afflicting  pain,  if  angered. 


ALETHAURION.  265 

The  feeble-minded  and  superstitious  dreaded  their  dis- 
pleasure, and  were,  as  a  consequence,  desirous  to  know 
how  their  good  will  might  be  procured  and  retained.  Hence, 
by  the  law  of  supply  and  demand,  there  were  not  wanting 
other  crafty  mortals,  who,  taking  advantage  of  this  general 
feeling,  professed  themselves  on  intimate  terms  with  one  or 
more  of  these  malignant  spirits. 

There  can  be  no  reasonable  grounds  for  doubt,  but  that 
the  enemy  also  took  advantage  of  this  state  of  affairs, 
and  that  many,  who  in  the  beginning,  out  of  motives  of 
gain  or  vain  glory,  falsely  pretended  to  superior  knowledge, 
found,  in  course  of  time,  that  there  was  indeed  some  super- 
natural agency  working  with  them,  and  thus  became 
magicians  in  the  full  sense  of  that  word. 

Celsus,  a  Pagan  philosopher,  who  wrote  about  the  year 
170  A.  D.,  and  who  was  himself  a  firm  believer  in  magic, 
gives  us  another  theory  on  the  subject.  He  maintained 
that  the  inferior  order  of  animals  not  only  have  souls,  but 
that  their's  are  of  a  nature  far  superior  to  man's,  and  that 
they  have  more  intimate  relations  with  the  spirit  world.  It 
was  from  these,  accordins^  to  our  philosopher,  that  man 
first  learned  the  interesting  science  of  magic.  See  Origen, 
Cont.  Cels.  lib.  4,  79, 

From  this  one,  and  others  of  the  liagan  writers,  we  learn 
that  it  was  firmly  believed  among  the  people  that  a  man 
might  have  intercourse  with  the  demons  of  spirits,  and  that 
he  might  obtain  of  them  superior  knowledge,  and  by  their 
aid,  perform  supernatural  acts. 

The  means  employed  to  draw  the  attention  and  gain  the 
good  will  of  those  spirits,  gave  names  to  the  different  species 
of  magic.  Sometimes  it  was  by  a  short  formula,  called  in 
Latin  a  carmen,  in  English  a  charm  ;  sometimes  it  was  by 
singing  and  the  sounds  of  musical  instruments,  and  hence, 
called  an  enchantment.  When  the  souls  of  the  dead  were 
called  up  by  means  of  the  spirits,  it  was  called  necromancy. 
Future  events,  foretold  by  means  of  the  spirits,  were  called 


266  ALETHAURION. 

divinations.  When  the  spirits  were  invoked  to  afflict  others 
with  sickness,  or  a  misfortune  of  any  kind,  it  was  iimalejice. 
Children  were  kej^t  from  growing  by  what  was  known  as 
fascination,  or  the  influence  of  the  spirit's  evil  eye  through 
his  agent.  The  agency  of  the  spirit,  in  the  casting  of  lots, 
was  called  sorcery.  To  excite  unlawful  love  in  one  of  the 
opposite  sex,  by  means  of  the  spirits,  was  called  ^  pJiiUrum. 

These  are  the  different  species  of  magic,  about  some  of 
which  we  will  have  a  word  or  two  before  having  reached 
the  end  of  this  episode.  It  is  quite  probable  that  many  oc- 
currences have,  in  times  passed,  been  attributed  to  the  in- 
fluence of  the  demon,  which  might  have  been  explained  on 
natural  principles.  But  it  is  no  less  true  that  there  are 
many  other  facts  that  are  entirely  above  scientific  analysis, 
and  must  be  referred  to  where  they  belong — to  the  Old 
Serpent. 

As  to  our  man  Elyznias,  the  scriptures  do  not  tell  us  in 
which  of  these  different  species  he  was  most  expert.  But 
it  is  highly  probable  that  he  had  graduated  in  them  all. 

In  our  next  we  will  take  up  and  discuss  some  well  known 
cases  found  in  scripture. 


CgAPTEE   LXIV. 


NECKOMANCY. 

This  is  a  word  of  Greek  origin,  composed  of  nekros,  a 
man,  and  manteia^  a  prophecy.  Taken  altogether  it  means, 
first,  a  revelation  made  by  a  departed  soul ;  and  secondly, 
the  art  of  getting  the  dead  to  make  such  manifestations. 

Some  twenty  years  ago,  this  art  was  quite  extensively 
practiced  here  in  the  United  States,  under  the  name  of 
**  Spiritualism."  Many  had  almost  lost  their  senses  with 
joy  at  the  thought  that  now,  at  least,  a  sure  telegraphic  com- 
munication had  been  established  between  this  vale  of  tears 


ALETHAURION.  267 

and  the  Elysian  fields,  the  abode  of  the  blessed.  Those 
persons  did  not  know,  and  were  too  wise  in  their  own  con- 
ceit to  learn  from  authorized  teachers,  that  spiritualism  is 
an  old  trick,  and  that  the  Father  of  Lies  is  the  patentee. 

The  matter  had  to  run  its  course,  before  its  adherents 
could  be  persuaded  that  they  were  engaged  in  picking  Dead 
Sea  apples,  and  that  they  would  have  nothing  in  the  end, 
but  dust  and  worms  for  their  pains. 

This  sombre  art  goes  back  to  quite  a  remote  period  in  the 
world's  history,  and  appears  to  have  been  practiced  among 
very  many  peoples,  tribes  and  tongues. 

It  is  well  known  that  among  the  ancients,  it  was  custom- 
ary to  make  great  outward  show  of  grief,  when  a  member 
of  a  family  was  called  off  by  death.  The  friends  and  neigh- 
bors of  the  deceased  were  called  in  to  speak  of  his  good 
qualities,  and  show  their  sorrow  by  tears  and  lamentations. 
In  order  that  prostration  might  not  follow,  plenty  of  good 
cheer  was  provided  by  the  dead  man's  relatives,  and,  no 
doubt,  some  beverages,  akin  to  that  which  kept  the  faith 
alive  in  the  Highlands,  during  the  persecutions,  was  freely 
handed  around  by  the  chief  mourners,  and  complimented 
by  the  sympathizing  neighbors.  This  was,  in  all  probability, 
the  beginning  of  it  ;  but  not  the  end. 

Under  circumstances  like  these,  it  will  not  be  wondered 
at,  that  some  should  see,  or  imagined  they  saw,  the  dead 
man's  ghost,  and  learned  from  it  many  curious  details  of 
the  spirit  world. 

A  sanctimonious  old  lady,  "  Down  East,"  a  firm  believer 
in  spiritualism,  and  a  medium,  while  keeping  watch  by  the 
bier  of  a  departed  son,  a  few  years  ago,  saw  her  beloved 
boy  enter  the  room,  go  through  a  series  of  antics,  grin  at 
his  mother,  look  at  his  own  dead  body,  and  remark  that  he 
should  never  have  thought  that  so  beautiful  a  boy  would 
have  made  such  an  ugly  corpse.  Whether  her  imagination 
was. rendered  vivid  on  that  occasion  by  a  Highland  stimulant, 
or  whether  it  was   a  oroblin  damned  that  took  the  form  of 

C3 


268  ALETHAURION. 

her  child,  is  a  very  deep  question,  and  ought  not  to  be 
decided  without  a  critical  examination  into  ail  the  circum- 
stances of  the  case. 

Supposing  the  narrative  true,  we  must  admit  the  old  kidy 
was  favored  in  an  extraordinary  manner  ;  for  the  spirits  do 
not  generally  deign  to  manifest  themselves  so  openly. 

It  happened  otherwise  in  the  case  of  an  acquaintance  of 
ours.  He  was  a  Catholic,  and  a  pious  one.  Finding  him- 
self,  one  evening,  in  company  with  some  heretics,  one  of 
whom  was  a  medium,  it  was  agreed  to  have  a  spiritual 
seance.  Our  friend  took  no  active  part  in  the  matter,  but 
remained  an  observer.  When  all  had  seated  themselves 
around  the  table,  the  spirit  of  a  man  who  had  been  hanged 
for  murder  was  called,  and  requested  to  tell  where  he  was, 
and  how  he  fared. 

He  replied,  through  the  medium,  that  there  was  one  in  the 
party  w^hose  presence  w^as  displeasing  to  himself,  and  to  the 
other  spirits,  and  that  no  answer  would  be  given,  as  long  as 
the  obnoxious  person  remained  in  the  room.  As  the  spirit 
did  not  make  known  the  name  of  the  objectionable  indi- 
vidual, it  was  agraed  that,  one  at  a  time,  should  go  into  an 
adjoining  room.  When  it  had  come  to  our  friend's  turn, 
the  spirit  got  the  use  of  his  knuckles,  and  rapped  a  response, 
to  the  effect  that  he  was  then  in  the  Elysian  Fields,  and  had 
for  companions  and  associates  there,  such  men  as  Benjamin 
Fraxklix,  George  Washixgtox,  Alexaxder  Hamiltox, 
AxDREW  Jacksox,  and  many  others,  distinguished  in  the 
history  of  this  country.- 

This  case,  which  is  from  a  reliable  source,  recalls  to  mind 
what  some  of  the  ancient  Fathers  have  handed  down,  con- 
cerning the  refusal  of  the  Pagan  oracles  to  give  responses, 
because  the  bones  of  some  Christian  martyrs  were  buried 
close  by.  And,  it  may  be  that  the  young  man,  to  whom  we 
refer,  had,  at  the  time,  some  devotional  object  about  his 
person. 

Necromancy  was  strictly  forbidden  by  the  law  of  ^Ioses  : 


ALFTHAURION.  269 

•'Neither  let  there  be  found  among  j'ou/'  said  he  addressing  the 
people  of  Israel,  '*  any  one  that  cousulteth  the  pythonic  spirits,  or  for- 
tune-tellers, or  that  seeketh  the  tnith  from  the  dead.''— [Deut.  xviii. 

The  prophet  Isaias,  also,  condemns  those  who  seek  ta 
know  of  the  dead  what  may  be  of  advantage  to  the  living. 
(Chapter  viii. )  Indeed,  all  those  kings  of  Israel,  who  were 
pious  and  feared  God,  were  careful  to  proscribe  necromancy, 
and  punish  all  who  practiced  it. 

We  learn,  also,  from  the  Theodocian  code  of  laws.  Lib.  9, 
tit.  38,  leg.  3,  that  Coxstantixe,  after  having  professed 
Christianity,  was  severe  on  necromancers  ;  and  his  son  and 
successor,  CoxsTAxcE,  condemned  them  to  death,  as  persons 
in  league  with  the  devil. 

In  the  Councils  of  Laodicea,  and  of  IV  Carthage,  it  was 
decreed  that  this  crime  should  be  punished  by  excommuni- 
cation. 

From  these  various  evidences  it  is  clear  that  both  by  Jews 
and  Christians,  spiritualism  or  necromancy,  has  ever  been 
regarded  as  the  work  of  the  demon. 

We  may  now  introduce  the  celebrated  case  of  King  Saul 
and  the  Witch  of  Endor  ;  it  being  the  best  authenticated  ex- 
ample df  necromancy  to  be  found  in  either  ancient  or 
modern  history.  The  circumstances  are  related  in  the 
first  book  of  Kings,  chapter  xxviii,  and  are  substantially  as 
follows : 

Saul,  when  on  the  point  of  engaging  in  battle  with  the 
Philistines,  was  anxious  to  know  what  the  result  would  be. 
Having,  by  his  crimes,  lost  favor  with  God,  he  now  sought 
information  of  a  pythoness,  or  witch.  Just  as  some  Catho- 
lics, who  do  not  wish  to  confess  their  sins  nor  really  amend 
their  lives,  go  seeking  the  means  of  sanctification  outside 
the  Church,  when  they  have  them  within  in  such  abundance. 
Saul  desired  the  Witch  to  call  up  from  the  dead  the  soul  of 
Samuel,  and  he  having  arisen,  informed  the  king  that  his 
army  would  be  defeated,  and  himself  killed. 


270  ALETHAURION. 

Here,  then,  we  have  a  sure  case  of  necromancy — a  proph- 
ecy made  by  a  dead  man,  and  fulfilled  soon  after 

This  fact  suggests  two  other  questions  : 

First,  Did  Samuel  really  appear,  or  was  it  a  piece  of 
deception — ventriloquism — on  the  part  of  the  pythoness? 

Second,  Is  the  appearance  of  Samuel  to  be  attributed  to 
the  demon,  or  to  divine  agency? 

Tertullian,  Basil  and  Gregory,  of  Nyssa,  were  of 
opinion  that  it  was  an  Evil  Spirit  that  took  the  prophet's 
form  on  that  occasion,  and  spoke  in  his  name. 

EusTACHius  of  Antioch,  Cyril  of  Alexandria,  and  others, 
maintained  that  the  sorceress  only  pretended  to  have  seen 
him,  but  spoke  for  him. 

The  Jewish  Rabbi,  Levi-Bex-Gersox,  referred  the  whole 
matter  to  Saul's  disordered  imagination. 

Those  who  contend  that  the  apparition  was  real,  may  be 
divided  into  two  classes.  Justix,  Origex,  Axastasius  of 
Antioch,  Augustixe,  and  others,  attribute  the  apparition  to 
the  power  of  the  demon  ;  whereas  St.  Ambrose,  Zexo  of 
Verona,  Thomas  Aquixas,  and  more  recent  commentators, 
maintain  that  neither  the  Witch  nor  the  Evil  Spirit  had 
power  to  evoke  Samuel  from  the  tomb,  and  hence,  they 
attribute  his  appearance  on  that  occasion  to  God.  This  last 
opinion  appears  more  in  conformity  with  reason,  and  the 
only  one  worthy  of  consideration. 

The  next  chapter  will  treat  of  charms. 


CHAPTER  LXV, 


charms. 


Charms  are  subdivisions  of  the  magical  art,  and  though, 
as  in  common  use,  the  word  is  interchangeable  with  en- 
chantment, yet  strictly  speaking,  there  is  a  difference. 

A  charm  consists  in  a  set  form  of  words,  conveying  to 


ALETHAURION.  271 

the  hearer  sometimes  a  definite  idea,  and  sometimes  expres- 
sinor  none  at  all  intelliirible  to  man.  Those  that  are  the 
least  intelligible  are  said  to  be  the  best,  because  of  a  nature 
more  confidential  between  the  spirit  and  the  worshiper. 

In  some  charms,  the  words  of  the- formula  must  be 
accompanied  by  certain  acts,  and  unless  all  the  circum- 
stances of  time,  place,  person  and  manner  are  strictly,  even 
minutely  observed,  it  will  not  work. 

Not  only  human  beings  may  be  affected  in  this  way,  but 
also,  irrational  creatures.  Indian  jugglers  are  said  to  have, 
by  means  of  charms,  a  power  over  even  the  most  venomous 
serpents  to  be  found  in  that  benighted  land.  So  that, 
under  magic  influence,  the  deadly  cobra  becomes,  for  the 
time  being,  harmless,  and  even  playful.  But  from  such 
playthings,  deliver  us,  O  Lord. 

No  doubt  those  jugglers  know  their  business  well,  and 
have  besides,  the  right  kind  of  charms.  It  was  not  so  with 
an  adventurer  who  attempted  to  astonish  the  natives  at  a 
place  some  dozen  or  fifteen  miles  above  Mt.  Sterling,  in 
this  State.  He  gave  out  that  he  was  a  practical  snake 
charmer,  and  as  a  consequence,  was  for  some  time  held 
in  high  consideration  among  that  class  of  people  who  have 
a  gaping  for  the  marvelous.  His  powers  were  tested  on 
water  snakes  of  different  kinds,  to  the  entire  satisfaction  of 
all  concerned — the  snakes  included. 

Finally  a  wagoner  brought  to  the  place  one  day,  from 
the  mountains,  a  stalwart  specimen  of  another  breed,  with 
twelve  rattles  and  a  button.  The  string  that  tied  him  to 
the  coupling  pole  was  not  cut,  until  the  charmer  was  sent 
for.  He  was  to  be  manager,  and  show  all  who  wished  to 
learn,  how  a  rattler  might  be  **  coaxed,"  as  he  called  the 
process  of  charming. 

A  ring  was  soon  formed,  and  the  juggler  began  to  mutter 
the  sacred  words,  approaching  the  snake  at  the  same  time, 
with  a  steady  eye,  and  motions  of  the  hands,  resembling 
those  made  by  a  poodle  in  the  water. 


272  AI.ETHAUEION. 

After  having  moved  forward  and  backward  several  times » 
it  became  manifest  to  all  that  the  charm  had  begun  to  work  ; 
for  the  snake  coiled  himself,  and  showed  evident  sisfns  of 
irritation  ;  the  prelude  to  final  victory.  At  length,  before 
the  charm  had  produced  its  full  effect,  the  juggler  ap- 
proached a  little  too  close,  increasing  thereby,  too  suddenly 
the  magical  influence  ;  which  became  so  strong  that  it  burst 
those  invisible  tubes  that  led  from  his  eye  to  the  snake's. 
In  this  way  the  current  was,  for  an  instant,  broken  ;  and 
before  it  could  be  re-established,  the  snake  made  a  spring 
and  bit  the  juggler's  arm,  below  the  elbow.  He  soon  be- 
gan to  swell ;  and  though  plenty  of  that  stuff  that  has  kept 
alive  the  spirit  of  chivalry  in  the  Kentucky  mountains,  was 
applied  to  the  wound,  inside  and  out,  it  w^as  to  no  purpose 
— the  juggler  died  within  twenty-four  hours. 

Any  one  that  is  at  all  acquainted  with  even  the  rudiments 
of  magic,  will  readily  see  and  admit,  that  the  want  of  suc- 
cess in  this  case  must  not  be  ascribed  to  the  charm  itself, 
but  to  the  fact  that  the  conditions  were  not  observed  in 
making  the  application. 

Now,  according  to  the  best  authorities,  when  there  is  ques- 
tion of  charming  a  rattle-snake,  or  copper-head,  the  juggler 
ought  not  to  go  inside  of  a  circle,  having  a  radius  of  five 
feet  from  the  serpent's  head,  without  a  hickory  wand.  Then, 
when  he  observes  that  the  tubes,  spoken  of  above,  by  which 
the  magic  influence  is  conveyed  from  his  eyes  to  those  of  the 
serpent,  are  becoming  irregular  in  their  action,  a  few  judi- 
cious taps  of  the  wand  on  the  snake's  head  will  again  restore 
the  circulation  and  insure  success. 

It  was  by  the  omission  of  this  important  feature  that  our 
magician  lost  his  life. 

It  is  a  mooted  question  whether  charms  are  man's  inven- 
tion or  whether  they  were  first  taught  him  by  the  spirits  of 
the  nether  world.  So  me  Pagan  writers,  such  as  Porphy- 
Kius  and  other  theurgists,  maintain  that  the  spirits  first 
taught  them  to  mankind.     But  a  thoughtful  consideration 


ALETHAURION.  273 

of  the  following  fact,  would  load  us  to  suppose  that  they 
are  of  human  invention,  though  afterwards  endorsed  and 
made  negotiable  by  his  Sable  Majesty. 

A  little  upwards  of  a  hundred  years  ago  there  lived  in  a 
small  house,  on  the  out-skirts  of  Dublin,  an  old  hag  who 
had  the  reputation  of  being  in  league  with  the  devil ;  and 
she  lived  by  selling  whisky  on  the  sly.  One  day  a  couple 
of  Trinity  college  students  came  to  her  to  get  some  patent 
eye-water  on  *'tick,"  for  they  were  broken,  flat.  The 
crone  refused  to  listen  to  their  pleadings  unless  they  put 
down  their  silver  first,  which  neither  was  able  to  do.  When 
about  to  leave,  in  disgust  at  their  want  of  success,  one  of 
them  noticed  that  she  had  a  sore  eye,  and  a  bright  thought 
struck  him  at  once.  He  pretended  to  be  a  young  doctor, 
and  told  her  that,  if  she  would  oblige  them  this  time,  he 
would  cure  her  ;  and,  on  the  coming  week,  return  and  settle 
all  back  accounts.  To  this,  the  dame  replied  with  a  '*  get 
out  o'  me  house,"  and  a  motion  toward  the  opposite  corner, 
where  there  was  a  stout  broom-handle. 

Seeing  that  an  appeal  to  science  did   no    good,  the    other 

now  remembered  that  he  had  a  charm  to  cure  sore  eyes,  and 

that  his  own  grand-father,  and  lately  his  step-mother,  had 

been  saved  from  total  blindness  by  the  use  of  it.     The  old 

hag  was  mollified    by  this   piece    of  information,  and    she 

finally   agreed   to   give   the  whisky  for  the  charm,  and  the 

instructions  how  to  use  it.     It  was  written  in  Latin,  to  the 

following  effect : 

"  May  the  Old  Harry  gouge  out  your  eye,  and  put  it  in  his  museum,  to 
scare  away  the  rats.  May  every  tooth  in  your  head  ache  until  your  toes 
turn  up.  May  you  get  the  yellow  jaundice  and  the  measles  again,  and 
may  you  have  the  mumps  along  with  them.  You  old  witch,  you. 
Amen.'* 

Twenty  years  after  this  event,  the  prodigal  boy  had  be- 
come a  judge  ;  and,  while  pronouncing  sentence,  according 
to  law,  against  others,  he  remembered  his  own  juvenile 
pranks,  only  to  regret  them. 


274  ALETHAURION. 

One  day  there  was  brought  before  him  an  old  woman, 
l)ent  almost  double  with  the  miseries  incident  to  poverty 
and  old  age.  She  had  been  accused  of  witchcraft,  and  the 
jury  had  found  her  guilty.  Her  crime  consisted  in  curing 
sore  eyes  by  magic,  and  there  was  the  charm  as  evidence  of 
it.  The  judge  requested  to  see  the  document ;  when,  lo  I 
and  behold  !  there  was  the  identical  paper  he  had* given  her 
twenty  years  before.  He  explained  the  circumstances  to  the 
jury,  the  witch  was  discharged,  and  with  her  toes  now  turned 
up  for  joy,  made  good  time  home  from  the  court-house, 
thanking  God  for  her  deliverance,  and  fully  bent  on  having 
nothinsf  more  to  do  with  charms  in  the  future. 

It  would  appear  from  this  case,  that  the  demon  sometimes 
takes  advantage  of  things  that  are  in  themselves  harmless, 
or  at  most  jocose  to  spread  abroad  his  venom  and  sap  the 
faith  of  true  believers. 

To  say  that  charms  have  any  power  in  themselves  would, 
of  course,  be  simple  folly,  for  there  is,  evidently,  none  of 
the  relationship  of  cause  and  effect  between  reading  or  wear- 
ing around  the  neck  a  piece  of  paper,  and  the  cure  of  sore 
eyes. 

But,  to  affirm  that  the  evil  Spirit  cannot  take  advantage  of 
such  things,  would  be  equally  silly.  From  Revelation  we 
learn  that  the  demons  have  an  intelligence  far  superior  to 
ours.  The  laws  of  nature,  the  relations  of  cause  and  effect, 
and  many  other  matters  are  known  to  them  in  a  manner  far 
superior  to  any  knowledge  we  can  have.  We  learn,  also, 
that  with  God's  permission,  the  devil  has  power  to  afflict 
men  with  sickness.  Witness  Job,  and  many  other  cases  in 
our  Lord's  time.  If  we  admit  he  has  power  to  afflict,  why 
not  also  a  curative  power  when  it  suits  his  designs  ?  The 
devil  is  the  prince  of  gamblers,  and  he  will  risk  a  minnow 
at  any  time  to  catch  a  sturgeon.  He  only  desires  that  men 
be  drawn  to  put  their  confidence  in  him,  instead  of  God, 
and  charms  are  nothing  more   nor  less  than  the  prayers  of 


ALETHAURION.  275 

those  who  worship  him.     Some  times  the  prayers  are  heard 
but  oftenerthey  are  not. 

Our  next  will  be  about  enchantments,  especially  those  of 
the  magicians  of  Egypt. 


CHAPTER   LXVI. 


EXCHAXTMEXTS. 

Enchantments  are  parts  of  the  magical  art,  and  bear 
about  the  same  relation  to  charms  that  music  does  to  poetry. 

Were  it  not  for  the  light  which  Revelation  sheds  upon  the 
future  state,  our  notions  concerning  what  belongs  to  it 
would  indeed  be  very  gross  and  materialistic.  Clear  evi- 
dence of  this  is  to  be  found  among  unchristianized  nations, 
even  at  the  present  day.  The  North  American  Indian 
has  no  higher  idea  of  the  bliss  of  heaven  than  that  it  is  a 
country  beyond  the  setting  sun,  with  a  never  fajling  stock 
of  game,  and  an  everlasting  summer.  Hence,  his  bow  and 
a  well  filled  quiver,  are  placed  by  his  side  in  the  grave,  and 
the  life  of  a  favorite  dog  is  forfeited,  that  he  may  accompany 
the  spirit  of  his  master  through  shady  valleys,  and  along  the 
banks  of  dark,  rolling  streams  in  the  happy  hunting  grounds. 

The  Turk,  though  more  civilized  than  the  Indian,  figures 
to  himself  a  paradise  in  keeping  with  his  swinish  proclivities 
here  on  earth  ;  and  the  lords  of  Ashantee  cannot  imagine 
how  a  chief  can  rest  in  the  other  life,  until  his  wives,  and  a 
percentage  of  his  servants  are  dispatched  straight  to  him. 

Thus,  it  was  supposed  also,  among  the  Pagans  of  ancient 
time,  that  whatever  gave  pleasure  here,  would  not  be  unac- 
ceptable hereafter. 

And  as  all  men  are  more  «r  less  susceptible  to  the  charms 
of  music,  it  was  thought  that  spirits  could  not  be  insensible 
to  melody  or  enchantment.  Kow,  as  to  Beelzebub  realb^ 
taking  delight  in  the  sound  of  the  banjo  or  flute  is  indeed 


276  ALETUAURION. 

very  questionable.  But,  if  a  man  believes  he  does,  and 
takes  that  means  to  secure  his  presence  and  aid,  the  writer 
would  not  ffo  so  far  as  to  say  that  it  is  out  of  the  demon's 
power  to  make  the  enchanter  think  he  likes  the  music  well. 

We  are  told  in  the  book  of  Exodus,  that  when  Aaron,  the 
brother  of  Moses,  came  before  Pharaoh,  to  request  that  the 
children  of  Israel  be  allowed  to  leave  Egypt,  the  king  de- 
manded a  sign  iu  proof  of  his  divine  mission.  Then  Aaron 
threw  down  the  rod  which  he  held  in  his  hand,  and  it 
instantly  changed  into  a  serpent.  This  was  evidently  a  mira- 
cle, and  ought  to  have  been  sufficient.  But  Pharoah  had 
seen  so  many  tricks  done  by  the  magicians  of  Egypt,  that 
the  foregoing  did  not  move  his  heart,  nor  lessen  his   pride. 

By  way  of  answer  to  what  Aaron  had  done  he  sent  for 
his  own  magicians,  and  true  to  his  expectations,  they  by 
"Egyptian  enchantments,  and  certain  secrets,  did  in  like 
manner  ;  they  every  one  cast  down  their  rods  and  they  were 
turned  into  serpents,  but  Aaron's  rod  devoured  their  rods." 

We  have  here  a  pretty  clear  case  of  a  Wonderful  act  done 
by  the  power  of  enchantment.  But  this  was  not  the  only 
specimen  of  their  skill ;  for  they  also  turned  water  into 
blood,  and  brought  forth  frogs  upon  the  land  of  Egypt,  as 
Moses  and  Aaron  had  done. 

The  question  naturally  arises  here,  as  to  whether  they  per- 
formed these  false  miracles  by  sleight  of  hand,  or  by  the 
power  of  the  Evil  One. 

Those  who  may  have  witnessed  the  performances  of 
Heller,  Anderson,  and  others  of  our  times,  will  not  lie 
disposed  to  quarrel  with  us  should  we  refer  the  miracles  on 
this  occasion  to  the  same  source.  Though,  we  do  not  all 
deny  that  the  great  magician  himself  may  have  been  there, 
ready  to  put  the  finishing  touch,  and,  as  far  as  lay  in  his 
power,  give  expression  to  the  picture. 

The  circumstances  were  indeed  quite  *  favorable  to  the 
magicians,  for,  it  is  not  to  be  presumed  that  King  Pharaoh 
was  in  any  way  anxious  to  detect  them  in  the  fraud.     He 


ALETHAURION.  277 

was  open  to  conviction  from  that  side,  while  he  would  will- 
ingly close  his  eyes  to  the  real  miracles  of  Moses  and 
Aaron. 

Now,  Jannes  and  Mambees,  (the  names  of  those  two 
worthies)  no  doubt  had  a  great  deal  of  influence  and  author- 
ity ;  mountebanks  and  thieves  like  them  always  have,  where 
vice  and  incompetence  reign  at  headquarters. 

Hence,  on  learning  what  Aaron  had  done,  in  the  presence 
of  Pharaoh  and  his  court,  they  might  easily  have  given 
orders  to  some  of  their  confederates  to  catch  and  bring  them 
a  couple  of  serpents  ;  and  by  skillful  manipulation',  a  feat 
much  similar  to  that  performed  by  Aaron  might  have  been 
executed. 

As  regards  the  other  two  miracles,  viz :  the  changing  of 
the  waters  of  the  Nile,  and  other  streams  of  Egypt,  into 
blood,  as  also  the  plague  of  the  frogs,  both  of  which  were 
imitated  by  the  magicians,  we  may  say  of  the  iirst,  that  if 
they  really  changed  the  waters  of  the  river,  and  of  the  other 
streams  and  pools,  as  Moses  had  done,  such  a  feat  cannot 
be  attributed  to  mere  lesrerdemain.  But  it  is  not  at  all 
probable  that  those  tricksters  did  more  than  give  the  color 
of  blood  to  a  small  portion  of  water,  tdfken  from  pits  dug 
near  the  Nile,  during  those  seven  daj^s  through  which  the 
miracle  lasted.  As  regards  the  frogs  we  may  say  in  like 
manner.  A  tubful  or  two  for  Pharaoh  to  look  at,  was,  in 
all  probability,  the  extent  of  the  damage  on  that  occasion. 
•  But  Avhether  we  hold  that  it  was  mere  sleight  of  hand,  or 
maintain,  as  some  do,  that  the  demon  aided  them,  we  still 
fail  to  see  that  the  king  and  his  people  had  any  good  reason 
for  denvins:  the  divine  mission  of  Moses  and  Aaron. 

When  a  magician  performs  a  false  miracle,  there  is  always 
sotnething  connected  with  it  by  which  it  may  be  distinguished 
from  the  genuine. 

Thus,  when  Heller  picks'  a  silver  dollar  out  of  a  black 
man's  eye,  it  is  evident  that  he  performs  a  mere  piece  of 
legerdemain.     For,  if  each  and  every  negro  has  in  his  optic 


278  ALETHAURION. 

a  Mexican,  and  Heller  has  the  power  of  getting  it  out,  why 
does  he  not  go  to  Timbuctoo  at  once  and  get  rich,  instead 
of  trying  to  replenish  his  purse  by  giving  exhibitions  here  ? 

We  may  say  the  same  of  Pharaoh  and  his  court.  They 
need  not  have  been  deceived.  The  fact  that  Aaron's  rod, 
when  turned  into  a  serpent,  eat  up  those  of  the  magicians, 
was  proof  of  something  unreal  in  their  acts. 

Thus  also,  when  Moses  and  Aaron  produced  the  cimfs, 
the  magicians  were  unable  to  do  likewise.  And  when  the 
land  of  Egypt  was  tried  with  boils^  the  magicians  and  Pha- 
raoh himself,  waxed  wroth,  but  had  to  bear  them. 

Our  next  will  be  about  real  miracles. 


CHAPTER  LXVn. 


MIRACLES. 

A  miracle  may  be  defined  as  an  event  or  occurrence,  the 
production  of  which  surpasses  all  created  power.  Hence, 
God  alone  can  perform  a  real  one. 

As  such  an  event4s  above  the  laws  of  nature,  in  so  far  as 
known  to  man,  it  excites  astonishment,  and  is  in  consequence 
called  a  miracle^  or  wonder-pile. 

Miracles  may  be  divided  into  three  grades  or  classes  ;  not 
as  regards  God,  for  one  is  as  easy  to  him  as  another,  but  as 
respects  our  way  of  viewing  them. 

Indeed,  so  far  as  the  Creator  is  concerned,  there  is  not, 
neither  can  there  be,  any  such  thing  as  a  miracle.  His 
knowledge  is  infinite  and  the  cause  of  each  event,  no  matter 
how  surprising  it  may  appear  to  us,  is  known  to  Him  from 
eternity.  Consequently,  nothing  can  occasion  wonder  to  the 
Omniscient ;  except,  may  be,  the  stolid  conceit  of  some  men 
who  take  pleasure  in  being  known  among  their  fellow-worms 
as  infidels  or  atheists. 


ALETH  AURION .  279 

An  event  which  surpasses,  in  the  highest  degree,  the  pow- 
ers of  nature,  we  call  a  miracle  of  the  first  class.  Such 
would  be  that  John  Smith  should  be  present  in  New  York 
and  San  Francisco  at  one  and  the  same  time  ;  that  the  sun 
should  stand  still  in  the  heavens ;  that  the  human  body 
should  be  glorified,  as  was  that  of  the  Saviour  on  Mount 
Tabor. 

A  miracle  of  the  second  class  is  that  which  exceeds  the 
powers  of  nature,  not  so  much  in  the. thing  done,  as  in  the 
subject  in  which  it  is  accomplished.  Thus,  nature  has  the 
power  of  giving  life  to  man,  at  some  period  before  his  birth, 
most  probably  at  the  moment  of  his  conception.  But  when 
life,  given  under  the  above  circumstances,  has  been  lost, 
nature  has  not  the  power  to  restore  it.  So,  also,  nature 
gives  a  man  eyes,  by  which  he  may  see,  but  if  an  optic  is 
once  knocked  out,  then  art  may  indeed  furnish  a  glass  one  ; 
but  nature  will  not  act  in  the  premises  a  second  time.  Hence, 
to  give  life  to  a  dead  man,  or  sight  to  the  blind,  would  cer- 
tainly be  a  miracle,  because  it  would  be  an  event  transcend- 
ing the  powers  of  nature  under  those  particular  circumstan- 
ces. But  it  would  only  be  a  miracle  of  the  second  class  ; 
for  nature,  under  other  well-known -conditions,  has  the 
power  of  giving  to  man  both  sight  and  life. 

A  miracle  of  the  third  class  is  had  in  the  case  of  an  event 
that  surpasses  the  powers  of  nature,  yet  only  in  the  order 
and  mode  of  its  accomplishment.  Thus,  if  a  child  happens 
to  catch  the  measles,  nature  will  cure  the  brat,  in  due  time, 
if  he  is  properly  cared  for.  Yet,  if  some  holy  man  should 
restore  him  to  health  in  an  instant,  it  would  be  a  real  and 
true  miracle,  because  nature  does  not  work  an  instantaneous 
cure  in  the  case  of  measles. 

It  will,  also,  be  readily  understood  that  under  each  of 
these  three  heads  there  may  be  different  grades  of  miracles, 
according  as  they  approach  to,  or  recede  from  the  limits  of 
all  created  power. 

We  have  said  that  God  alone  is  able  to   perform    a   real 


280  ALETHAURION. 

miracle.  By  this,  however,  we  do  not  mean  to  exclude  the 
agency  of  angels  and  of  men.  It  is  well  known  that,  l)oth 
in  the  Old  and  New  Dispensations,  God  has  made  use  of 
men,  and  of  material  objects,  to  execute  His  wonders  in  the 
world.  These  are  instruments  in  His  hand,  lil^e  a  pen  in 
that  of  a  scribe.  Now,  there  arises  here  very  naturally  a 
question,  to  the  solution  of  which  we  shall  briefly  turn  our 
attention. 

Since  we  do  not  know  what  limits  God  has  set  to  the 
powers  of  all  created  nature,  how  are  we  to  distinguish  a 
real  miracle  from  a  false  one? 

How  are  we  to  know  whether  we  must  attribute  a  given 
wonderful  event,  say  the  restoration  of  sight  to  a  blind  man, 
to  God,  to  an  angel,  or  to  some  occult  force  of  nature,  or 
even  to  one  of  the  fallen  spirits  or  demons? 

In  reply  to  this  question,  which  is  certainly  a  very  deep 
one,  we  may  observe,  first  of  all,  that  it  is  the  very  same, 
in  substance,  that  the  Pharisees  i)ut  to  our  Lord  himself, 
when  they  accused  Him  of  working  miracles,  and  casting  out 
devils,  by  the  power  of  Beelzebub,  the  Prince  of  Devils. — 
[Matt.  xii. 

Jewish  malice  could  not  conceive  a  more  specious  or 
subtle  argument  against  the  Saviour's  miracles.  Hence, 
we  may  also  conclude  that  He,  then,  gave  the  best  answer 
possible : 

•'  Knowing  their  thoughts,"  says  the  Scripture,  he  said  to  them: 
*' Every  kingdom  divided  against  itself  shall  be  made  desolate,  and 
every  city  or  house  divided  against  itself  shall  not  stand.  And  if  I,  by 
Satan,  cast  out  Satan,  he  is  divided  against  himself;  how  then  shall 
his  kingdom  stand?  " 

The  Saviour  does  not  deny  that  it  is  within  the  .power  of 
Satan  to  do  wonderful  things,  through  his  agents  here  on 
earth.  And,  in  effect,  we  know  that,  toward  the  end  of  the 
world,  he  will,  by  means  of  Antichrist,  work  miracles 
capable  of  deceiving,  if  it  were  possible,  even  the  elect. 

Yet,  by  the  Saviour's  answer,  we  are  given  to  understand 
that  the  devil's  miracles  will  be  such  as   to  never  lead  men 


ALETHAURION.  281 

to  glorify  God,  nor  to  seek  their  own  sanctification.  For, 
in  that  case,  his  kingdom  would  be  divided. 

The  Pharisees  saw  and  knew  that  the  miracles  of  Christ 
were  true  ones,  and  yet,  because  of  their  abominable  sins  of 
pride  and  lust,  they  shut  their  eyes  against  the  light,  and 
died  in  their  obstinacy  and  blindness.  By  the  fruit  you 
may  know  the  tree,  and  a  bad  tree,  such  as  Satan  is,  will 
not  yield  w^holesome  fruit. 

The  foregoing  is  about  the  very  best  means  one  can  have 
by  which  to  distinguish  between  true  and  false  miracles — 
though  the  writer  is  not  unaware  that  theologians  gave  also 
other  marks.  Hence,  fifrantins^  that  we  cannot  define  the 
exact  limit  of  Satan's  power,  yet,  there  is  no  danger  that  a 
good  and  righteous  man  will  ever  be  deceived  by  false  mir- 
acles. It  is  onlv  those  whose  hearts  are  wrons^  that  will  be 
drawn  into  the  vortex. 

To  illustrate  this,  take  an  example.  A  sound,  upright 
Catholic  may  be  living  for  years,  surrounded  by  heretics 
and  secret  societies  of  every  kind,  and  he  will  never  be 
drawn  away  from  the  Faith.  But  let  one  of  your  hickory 
kind,  who  is  a  liar  from  habit  and  choice,  and  a  fraud,  be 
placed  in  similar  circumstances,  and  you  will  see  how  quickly 
he  will  recognize  the  folly  of  praying,  fasting,  going  to  con- 
fession, and  the  like  practices.  Such  a  person  will  easily 
fall  away,  because  his  heart  is  not  right  in  the  sight  of  God. 
It  will  be  thus,  also,  with  the  miracles  of  Satan,  only  those 
who  love  deception  will  be  deceived. 

As  regards  the  miracles  performed  by  the  good  angels, 
w^e  may  say  that,  inasmuch  as  their  wills  are  in  harmony 
with  that  of  the  Almighty,  good  alone  can  result  from 
them.  In  general  terms  we  may  state  it  as  a  solid  and  un- 
deniable principle,  that  any  supernatural  event  which,  either 
directly  or  indirectly,  contradicts  the  teaching  of  the  Catho- 
lic Church,  has  for  its  author  no  other  than  the  devil,  or 
one  of  his  imps. 

Now,  with  respect  to  the   third   class,  in   which   miracles 


2S2  ALETHAURION. 

are  referred  to  unknown  powers  of  nature,  we  may  say,  that 
an  experience  of  six  thousand  years  has  given  us  a  sufficient 
knowledge  of  nature's  hiws  to  be  certain  that  it  does  not  re- 
store a  dead  man  to  life,  nor  give  sight  to  a  blind  man,  nor 
feed  five  thousand  with  five  loaves  of  bread. 

Infidels  who  are  always  snatching  at  straws,  make  use  of 
the  foregoing  argument,  in  order  to  destroy,  if  possible,  the 
motives  for  believing  the  Saviour's  divine  mission. 

He  ai>i)ealed  to  the  miracles  which  he  performed,  as  a 
proof  that  he  was  sent  to  teach  mankind.  Infidels  attribute 
them  to  the  occult  powers  of  nature,  and  attempt  to  make 
a  liar  of  the  Saviour,  who  referred  those  wonderful  work& 
to  the  Eternal  Father. 

Our  next  will  be  a  continuation. 


CHAPTER  LXVIII. 


MIRACLES. 

In  the  last  chapter  we  spoke  of  the  three  different  orders 
of  miracles.  We  also  took  into  consideration  the  means  by 
which  one  may  distinguish  the  wonders  of  which  the  powers 
of  darkness  are  capable,  from  those  of  the  blessed  spirits, 
or  of  the  Almighty. 

Satan  has  a  power,  whose  limits  we  cannot,  with  any  de- 
gree of  accuracy,  define.  But  we  may  state,  with  full 
confidence,  that  if  he  could  only  get  full  play  at  us,  we 
would  find  ourselves  checkmated  by  him  in  short  order. 

Yet  Ave  must  remember  that  there  is  a  wiser  and  a  more 
powerful  Being  than  Satan — our  Creator — who  takes  pity 
on  our  weakness  and  will  not  allow  the  demon  to  triumph, 
unless  we  first  prove  ourselves  rebellious,  and  desert  our 
colors. 

United  to  God,  we  are  strong  and  we  are  wise.  But 
separated  from  Him,  the  most  intellectual  man  in  existence 


ALETHAUEION.  283 

is  but  a  miserable,  blind  and  helpless  shoat,  a  prey  easily 
captured  aud  devoured  by  the  infernal  wolves. 

Granting  then,  as  may  be  done,  that  Satan  has  a  discre- 
tionary power  far  more  vast  than  that  conceded  to  any 
tyrant  in  human  shape,  past,  present,  or  to  come,  we  need 
not  dread  his  might  nor  his  miracles,  as  long  as  we  are  in 
the  House  of  God.  For  the  Master  of  that  house  must 
first  be  bound  before  His  servants  can  be  injured,  or  His 
cjoods  rifled. 

Let  us  now  proceed  a  step  farther,  and  briefly  consider 
the  possibility  of  miracles. 

Some  modern  infidels,  making  use  of  the  objections 
proposed  to  themselves,  and  solved  by  the  scholastic  theo- 
logians of  the  Catholic  Church,  have  sought  notoriety  by 
giving  to  these  same  objections  a  new  setting,  and  then 
passing  them  off  as  gems  of  thought  of  their  own  discov- 
ery. 

These  infidel  gentlemen  give  the  difficulties  they  find  in 
Catholic  theology  against  points  of  faith,  but  not  the  solu- 
tions, though,  side  by  side  on  the  same  page. 

Now  it  is  a  well-known  fact,  that  even  a  common  simple- 
ton can  ask  a  question  th:it  might  take  several  weeks  of 
very  hard  study  from  a  brilliant  scholar  to  answer — and  for 
that  matter,  he  might  never  answ^er  it.  There  are  some 
mysteries  of  our  faith  that  are  entirely  beyond  human 
understanding.  Possibly  the  angels  themselves  do  not 
comprehend  the  mysteries  of  creation,  the  Trinity,  predesti- 
■  nation,  the  providence  of  God  in  the  government  of  this 
world,  etc. 

But  as  the  simpleton  ought  not  to  plume  himself  on  his 
smartness,  for  asking  a  question  which  no  one  is  capable  of 
answering,  so  neither  should  our  infidel  friends  glorv  in 
their  wit,  when  they  do  nothing  more  than  plagiarize. 

One  of  the  keenest  objections  to  the  possibity  of  miracles 
that  the  writer  has  ever  come  across,  is  the  following : 


284  ALETHAURION. 

God,  in  the  beginning,  with  infinite  knowledge  and  wis- 
dom, established  the  laws  by  which  the  universe  is  gov- 
erned. These  are  expressions  of  His  will.  Now,  any  change 
or  suspension  of  such  ordinances  must  come  either  from 
God  Himself  or  from  some  other  being.  The  change  can- 
not be  from  a  source  independent  of  God,  for  His  will  is 
irresistible  and  almighty.  The  change  or  suspension  of  a 
law  of  nature,  even  in  one  particular  case,  cannot  come 
from  the  Almighty,  for  that  would  imply  a  change  in  His 
will  which  cannot  be,  for  his  will  is  immutable.  Hence,  no 
•change  or  suspension  of  a  law  of  nature,  even  in  a  particu- 
lar case,  can  happen,  and  in  consequence  such  a  thing  as  a 
miracle  is  impossible. 

Before  proceeding  to  examine  into  the  merits  of  this  ob- 
jection we  may  observe  that  it  would  imply  to  many  other 
things  besides  miracles.  If  true  it  would  prove  that  God  is 
not  a  free  being ;  it  would  upset  the  Catholic  doctrine 
regarding  the  utility  of  prayer  and  reduce  everything  to  a 
dead  fatalism.  But,  to  point  out  these  consequences  does 
not  destroy  the  force  of  the  objection.  It  is  in  the  study  of 
such  questions  as  this  that  one  must  take  the  liberty  of  dif- 
fering with  the  poet,  when  he  said, 

"The  proper  study  of  maGkind  is  man." 

To  be  entirely  true  the  line  should  read  thus : 
The  proper  study  of  mankind  is  GOD. 

Now,  speaking  about  the  Divine  attributes  unless  care  be 
taken,  one  is  apt  to  get  beyond  his  depth — up  to  both  ears 
in  difficulties.  We  shall  attempt  to  avoid  that,  at  present, 
by  keeping  close  to  tli^  shore. 

By  way  of  answer,  then,  we  may  say  :  I  grant  that  God, 
in  the  beginning,  made  laws  for  the  government  of  the  uni- 
verse and  that  no  created  power  can  change  them.  But, 
by  that  very  act  in  which  He  willed  the  law.  He  willed  also 
the  exception.  So  that  the  exception  is  as  much  a  part  of 
God's  act  as  the  law  itself  and  of  equal  date  with  it. 

Taking  this  view  of  the  case  it   docs  not  appear  to   differ 


ALETHAURION.  285 

much,  as  to  species,  from  that  of  the  late  Widow  Muggins. 
She  made  a  law  and  had  it  properly  promulgated  in  the 
family  that  the  children  should  all  l)e  in  bed,  and  covered 
up,  precisely  at  eight  o'clock  at  night — except  when  their 
Aunt  Rickey  came  to  see  them,  then  they  could  stay  up 
until  nine.  Now,  the  widow  Muggins  did  not  change  hier 
mind  in  allowing  the  children  to  remain  up  an  hour  longer 
than  usual  under  the  circumstances,  because  this  excep- 
tion was  included  in  the  first  act  by  which  the  law  was 
made. 

So,  also,  when  God  in  the  beginning  established  order  in 
the  universe.  He  determined  that  the  earth  should  make  a 
complete  revolution  on  its  axis  once  in  every  twenty -four 
hours,  and  should  continue  to  do  so  up  to  a  certain  period, 
when,  for  once,  it  was  to  make  the  same  revolution  in 
thirty-six  hours.  This  change  in  the  earth's  motion  implies 
no  change  in  the  will  of  God,  for  it  was  included  in  the 
original  act. 

This  answer  appears  to  meet  the  difficulty  pretty  well, 
says  our  friend  Snipe.  Not  at  all,  not  at  all,  says  Nosey — 
Mr.  Nosey  is  a  metaphysician  and  knows  what  he  is  talking 
about — says  he,  when  God,  in  the  beginning,  made  the  law 
that  governs  the  universe,  He  also,  at  the  same  instant, 
made  some  exceptions,  I  grant,  but  as  the  act  w£^s  perfected 
in  past  time  the  number  of  exceptions  to  the  law  w\as  also 
determined,  and  God  cannot  work  a  miracle  except  under 
circumstances  already  pre-determined.  Thus  the  solution 
that  you  have  given,  says  Nosey,  is  only  a  change  from  one 
difficulty  into  another.     God's  liberty  is  still  im[)ugned. 

It  must  be  confessed  that  Nosey  is  somewhat  of  a  philoso- 
pher, very  like  a  whale,  so  to  speak.  Hence,  to  give  him 
chase,  we  must  risk  ourselves  out  some  distance  from  the 
shore. 

The  fallacy  on  which  the  objection  is  founded  consists  in 
saying  that  God  in  past  time  made  a  law.  With  God  there 
is  no  pa^t  and  no  future.     All   that  we  can  say  of  Him,  in 


286  ALETHAUEION. 

this  regard,  inav  be  expressed  in  the  words,  He  is.  The 
act  by  which  He  created  the  universe,  and  regulates  every- 
thing in  it,  was  not  one  perfected  in  past  time,  but  is  the 
one  same,  abiding,  eternal  act.  Hence,  as  regards  us,  it  is 
correct  to  say,  God  created  the  universe  but,  as  regards  God, 
it  is  not  correct,  for  the  act  of  oreation  was  not  a  transient, 
but  an  abiding  one. 

With  this  idea  of  God,  as  a  being  entirely  of  the  pres- 
ent, it  will  not  be  difficult  to  see  how  exemption  from  the 
action  of  a  law  of  nature,  in  a  particular  case,  does  not  in- 
terfere with  a  pre-existing  law.  God  lives  in  the  ever  pres- 
ent now,  and  His  ever  present  act  creates,  conserv^es, 
changes  and  regulates  existences. 

And  since  in  the  Divine  Essence  there  is  an  infinitude  of 
possibilities,  the  Divine  will,  can,  when  it  chooses,  reduce 
any  of  these  to  act,  wliich  plainly  means  that  God  can  per- 
form a  miracle  when  He  pleases.  Hence,  also,  when  a  man 
prays  God  to  forgive  him  his  sins,  he  does  not  change  the 
will  of  God,  but,  by  changing  his  own  heart,  with  the  aid 
of  Divine  ijrace,  he  fulfills  a  condition  required  by  the  eter- 
nal act  for  his  justification.     » 

Our  next  will  be  a  continuation. 


CHAPTER  LXIX. 


MIRACLES. 

David  Hume,  the  infidel,  in  a  certain  part  of  his  writings, 
says,  in  substance,  that  he  never,  in  all  his  life,  saw  a  mira- 
cle, but  he  saw  and  knew  a  great  many  men  who  were  given 
to  exaggeration  and  to  lies. 

David  was,  no  doubt,  correct,  when  speaking  of  the  great 
number  of  liars  in  his  day.  Their  descendants,  in  our 
times,  are  neither  few  nor  hard  to  find. 

But,  the  fact  that  there  were,  and  still  are,  such  people  in 


ALETHAUBION.  287 

the  world,  does  not  prove  that  miracles  have  not  been, 
though  Hume  intended  that  it  should. 

There  were  many,  also,  who  told  the  truth,  who  shed 
their  blood  for  it,  and  there  are  plenty  who  would  mount 
the  rack  again,  should  circumstances  call  for  that  sort  of 
evidence. 

It  is  by  the  testimony  of  such  as  these,  and  by  none  other, 
that  miracles  are  proved. 

That  the  infidel,  of  whom  we  are  speaking,  never  saw  a 
miracle,  is  quite  possible.  But,  there  were  many  other 
facts  that  he  never  saw,  and  truths  that  he  never  dreamt  of, 
that  are  held  as  undeniable,  notwithstanding,  by  men  far 
more  profound  than  he. 

If  Hume  had  seen  a  miracle,  in  all  probability,  he  would 
not  have  believed  it.  By  the  profession  of  infidelity  men 
become  paralyzed  in  error,  and  no  matter  under  what  aspect 
truth  is  presented,  the  magnetic  current  of  a  depraved  will, 
swings  them  around  to  unbelief. 

The  only  cure  for  infidelity  is  humiliation,  and  affliction 
in  the  flesh. 

God  humbles  the  infidel  here,  by  giving  him  over  to  his 
lusts  ;  and  in  eternity,  by  making  him  a  thrall  of  Beelze- 
bub. 

If  we  are  to  put  faith  in  the  newspaper  reports,  it  would 
appear  that  as  late  as  the  second  of  this  month,  (Febru- 
ary, 1878,)  and  no  farther  away  than  Mauch  Chunk, 
Pennsylvania,  a  real  and  true  miracle  was  made  manifest 
hi  the  person  of  Amelia  Greth.  The  authorities  will,  no 
doubt  thoroughly  investigate  the  matter,  and  if  there  be  no 
imposition  found,  this  case  will,  or  ought  to  be,  a  suflicient 
answer  to  those  unbelievers  who  ask  wliy  it  is  that  miracles 
always  take  place  in  some  foreign  country,  or  in  days  long 
since  passed. 

Should  the  Church  authorities  discover  an  imposition,  it 
should  be  at  once  publicly  exposed,  and  the  actors  in  it 
punished  to  the  utmost  limits  of  the  law. 


288  AT-ETHAURION. 

We  have  no  need  in  the  Catholic  Church,  of  fraudulent 
miracles,  since  we  have  those  of  Christ,  its  author  and 
finisher,  and  of  the  Apostles,  its  first  Bishops,  to  refer  to. 
Not  to  go  back  so  far,  we  have  in  our  own  times,  the  mir- 
acles of  Lourdes  and  Knock.  No  sane  man  now  pretends  to 
question  the  fact  that  supernatural  cures  have  been  affected 
at  both  those  places. 

The  circumstances,  as  given  in  the  daily  papers,  are  cer- 
tainly such  as  to  induce  one  to  believe  that  a  miracle  took 
place  at  Mauch  Chunk. 

.  The  woman  announced  several  days  before  hand,  that 
she  would  die  on  the  Feast  of  the  Purification,  and  that 
she  would  remain  dead  one  hour ;  that  then  she  would  be 
recalled,  not  only  to  life,  but  to  perfect  health — cured 
completely  of  that  consumption  which  had  caused  her 
death. 

Here,  then,  we  have  a  case  similar  to  that  which  Renan, 
the  Infidel,  requires.  Hundreds  flocked  to  the  house  to  see 
her  die,  and  they  saw  her  give  up  the  ghost.  They  waited 
an  hour  and  saw  her  rise  again,  at  the  command  of  the 
priest  who  had  anointed  her.  And  not  alone  that,  but 
they  beheld  her  restored  to  health  and  vigor  of  body. 
Since  this  is  an  extraordinary  case,  even  in  the  line  of  mir- 
acles, it  is  to  be  hoped  that  the  Ecclesiastical  authorities  of 
the  diocese,  in  which  Mauch  Chunk  is,  will  not  suffer  it  to 
pass  without  the  closest  scrutiny. 

Miracles  are  principally  for  the  unbeliever,  and  as  each 
and  every  one  of  these  could  not  have  been  present  at  the 
time  and  place,  it  is  eminently  proper  that  the  local  Church 
authorities  should  investigate  and  publicly  acknowledge,  or 
deny,  the  miracle,  without  fear  and  without  favor,  as  its 
truth  or  falsity  may  require. 

We  Catholics  do  not  need  miracles  to  make  us  believe. 
Our  faith  is  not  only  the  substance  of  things  we  hope  for, 
but  also  an  argument  to  each  one,  of  things  that  do  not  ap- 
pear to  his  ^senses.     We  believe  without  seeing. 


ALETHAURION.  289 

When  some  one  came  running,  in  great  haste,  to  Louis 
IX,  usually  called  St.  Louis,  king  of  France,  and  told  him 
that,  in  one  of  the  churches  in  the  city,  Christ  stood  forth 
in  His  human  form  from  the  consecrated  Host,  he  expressed 
no  wonder,  and  even  refused  to  go  and  see. 

He  said  that  for  himself,  there  "was  no  need  of  a  miracle 
to  make  him  believe  the  doctrine  of  the  real  presence. 

"God  has  not  intended  this  manifestation  for  me,"  said 
the  King,  ''  but  for  some  others  who  do  not  believe." 

Let  us  again  return  to  our  friend  Hu.me,  and  divesting  his 
argument  of  all  unnecessary  flourishes,  put  it  in  as  simple 
and  clean  a  way  as  possible.     We  may  state  the  case  thus  : 

A  miracle  is  a  fact,  real  or  supposed.  Its  truth  or  falsity 
is  proved  by  the  evidence  of  one's  own  senses  or  by  the 
testimony  of  others.  If  the  weight  of  evidence  is  on  the 
side  of  the  miracle,  then  it  is  only  reasonable  that  it  should 
be  admitted.  If,  on  the  contrary,  the  most  credible  wit- 
nesses give  testimony  in  opposition  to  such  a  thing,  common 
sense  would  teach  us  to  reject  it*. 

The  case  is  parallel  to  that  which  happened  yesterday  a 
week  ago,  in  Judge  Bullhead's  court,  at  Lawyerville. 
Ephren  Evans,  a  colored  gentleman  of  probity,  swore  he 
saw  Abe  Jones  strike  Jeff  Anderson,  in  the  melee,  over 
the  creek,  at  Wiggins'  distillery.  Whereas,  Polk  Hustin, 
another  African  swore  it  was  not  «Iones,  but  Tom  Nelson 
that  did  the  striking.  Hence,  his  honor.  Judge  Bullhead, 
bad  to  decide  which  witness  was  the  more  worthy  of  belief. 
And,  as  a  matter  of  course,  their  previous  characters  for 
truth  entered  largely  into  the  case. 

So  it  must  be  done  also  in  regard  to  miracles  ;  we  must 
weigh  well  the  character  of  the  witnesses  on  both  sides. 

We  must  decide,  says  the  infidel,  whether  it  is  more  rea- 
sonable to  admit  that  one  or  even  a  dozen  men  have  lied,  or 
were  deceived  by  their  senses,  as  regards  a  supernatural  oc- 
currence ;  or  that  the  laws  governing  the  world  have  been 
suspended  in  a  particular  instance. 

We  shall  endeavor  to  answer  this  in  the  next  chapter. 


290  .  ALETHAURION. 

CHAPTER  LXX. 


MIRACLES. 


Which  is  it  more  reasonable  to  believe  :  that  nature  has 
deviated  from  a  known  law,  in  a  given  instance,  or  that  the 
man,  who  pretends  to  have  seen  such  deviation,  has  not  been 
deluded,  or  has  not  lied  about  it? 

To  this  question,  coming  as  it  does,  so  soon  after  the 
Mauch  Chunk  fiasco^  one  would  be  disposed  to  answer  at 
once,  that  it  was  rather  to  be  expected  that  the  man  had 
been  deceived,  or  had  sought  to  deceive  others. 

The  burden  of  proof  lies  with  him  who  pretends  to  have 
performed,  to  have  seen,  or  to  believe  in  a  miracle. 

In  the  Catholic  Church  great  care  is  taken,  and,  in  fact, 
great  care  is  needed,  that  nothing  fraudulent,  of  a  super- 
natural character,  be  allowed  to  pass  current.  The  prompt 
action  of  Archbishop  Wood,  in  that  Mauch  Chunk  affair,  is 
proof  of  it.  ^ 

Catholics  have  sometimes  been  accused  of  too  much  cre- 
dulity in  religious  matters.  It  is  true  we  believe,  without 
doubting,  all  that  God  has  revealed,  and  the  Church  propo- 
ses for  our  acceptance.  For  this  we  have  motives  of  cred- 
ibility that  are  excellent  beyond  all  comparison. 

But,  outside  of  that,  we  are  most  incredulous.  More  so 
than  Tom  Paixe  and  Bob  Ingersoll  welded  together.  We 
cannot,  and  w^e  obstinately  refuse  even  to  try  to  believe,  that 
the  man  who  sees  the  wonderful  order  displayed  in  the 
material  universe,  and  yet  says  there  is  no  God,  is  anything 
else  but  a  very  insipid  fool. 

"  The  Heavens  show  forth  the  glory  of  God  ;  and  the  firmament  is  the 
work  of  His  hands.*' — Ps.  xviii,  2.  "The  fool  said  in  his  heart  there  is 
no  Gou."'— Ps.  xiii,  1. 

Christ  having  affirmed  that  he  was  the  Son  of  God,  and 
having  proved  the  same  by  rising  from  the  dead  ;  we  can- 
not believe  that  the  man  who  disputes  it  deserves  a  higher 
title  than  that  of  ignoramus  or  knave. 


ALETHAURION.  291 

Seeing  a  Catholic  Church  with  members  and  not  a  few  of 
them,  in  every  country  throughout  the  known  world,  with  a 
line  of  Bishops  from  Pius  IX,  recently  departed,  to  St. 
Peter,  Prince  of  the  Apostles,  we  cannot  believe  that  the 
man  who  denies  it  to  be  the  Church  that  Christ  built,  has 
ever  read  history  with  an  eye  to  discover  truth. 

We  are  very  incredulous — we  Catholics  are.  We  even 
suspect  a  delusion  or  something  worse,  when  one  of  our 
members  goes  around  peddling  strange  stories  about  mir- 
acles ;  and  if  filthy  lucre  happens  to  be  connected,  then  our 
incredulity  shoots  up  like  a  balloon  on  a  rampage,  and  we 
demand  an  inquest. 

In  spiritual  things.  Catholics  believe  precisely  what  they 
ought  and  no  more.  We  maintain  that  miracles  have  been 
performed,  and  when  the  Supreme  Being  sees  proper,  we 
know  He  can  at  any  time  derogate  from  the  general  law. 
But  as  He  is  all-powerful,  we  believe  that  a  close  scrutiny 
into  each  reputed  case,  far  from  detracting  from  the  good 
effect  of  a  miracle,  will  only  serve  to  place  it  in  a  clearer 
light,  and  make  it  redound  the  more  to  the  glory  of  Him 
who  can  alone  perform  one. 

But,  since  miracles  are  of  rare  occurrence,  the  burden  of 
proof  lies  with  him  who  affirms.  We  can,  however,  charge 
ourselves  with  it,  and  run  no  risk  of  fainting  by  the  way- 
side. 

That  the  reader  may  see  how  one  may  have  the  highest 
certitude  attainable,  in  regard  to  miracles,  we  will  take,  at 
random,  an  example  from  the  scriptures,  and  discuss  the 
merits  of  the  case.  We  will  come  to  close  quarters  by  pass- 
ing from  abstract  discussion  to  concrete  analysis. 

The  example  is  found  in  St.  John's  gospel,  chapter  v. 
It  is  stated  that,  in  Jerusalem,  there  was  a  pond  called  Pro- 
batica.  and  that  once  a  year  an  anael  descended  and  moved 
its  waters.  After  the  movement,  the  first  man  that  touched 
the  element  was  cured  of  whatever  infirmity  he  might  have 
been  laboring  under.     But  the  first  was  the  only  one  served. 


292  ALETHAURION. 

In  the  porches  around  the  pond  were  persons  afflicted 
with  all  manner  of  diseases.  Each  anxious  to  get  the  start 
of  his  neighbor  and  leap  in  after  the  movement  of  the 
waters.  Among  them  was  a  wretched  creature  who  had 
been  paralyzed  for  thirty-eight  years.  During  that  time  he 
had  been  waiting  to  see  if  he  could  not,  by  some  lucky 
chance,  take  lead  of  all  others.  But  he  was  ever  and  always 
distanced  in  the  race,  for  he  had  not  the  use  of  himself — 
poor  cripple. 

Finally,  after  nearly  forty  years  of  expectation  the  Saviour 
came  along,  and  by  His  Almighty  power  cured  him  of  the 
paralysis  instantaneously. 

Such  is  the  case  in  point.  Now  let  us  lay  the  matter 
before  our  Infidel  friends  in  the  form  of  a  question. 

Which  wasit  more  reasonable  :  for  that  paralytic  to  have 
believed  jthat  there  was  a  suspension  of  a  law  of  nature  in 
his  case,  or  to  suppose  that  he  was  laboring  under  a  delu- 
sion ;  that  he  was  still  unable  to  walk,  and  that  he  was  only 
dreaming?  What  proofs  had  he  that  he  had  ever  ])een 
sick?  He  had  the  exjjerience  of  38  years,  the  testimony  of 
his  senses,  and  especially  of  the  sensus  intimus^  which  con- 
vinced him  that  his  limbs  during  all  that  time  would  not 
obey  the  behests  of  his  will.  He  had,  moreover,  the  testi- 
mony of  scores  of  others  who  daily  visited  the  place  and 
commiserated  his  pitiable  condition.  He  had  every  proof 
that  a  man  can  have,  that  he  was  first  sick,  and  after  he  was 
told  to  rise,  take  up  his  bed  and  walk,  he  had  the  same 
proofs  that  he  got  instantaneously  well,  and  remained  so. 

He  might  have  as  reasonably  doubted  his  own  existence  as 
that  a  miracle  had  been  wrought  on  him. 

In  the  second  place,  what  proofs  had  this  man  that  nature 
permits  no  exemption  from  the  action  of  its  laws?  Had  he 
the  testimony  of  his  senses?  Just  the  contrary.  The  senses 
taught  him  that  he  was  himself  an  exemption.  Had  he  the 
testimony  of  others?  By  no  means.  On  the  contrary,  for 
38  years  he  had   been  accustomed  to   hear  people   speak  of 


ALETHAURION.  293 

how  this  one  was  cured  of  leprosy,  that  one  of  dropsy, 
another  of  the  palsy,  and  possibly,  a  half  dozen  or  more  invet- 
erate lunatics  related  to  him  how  they  had  been  restored  to 
sense.  The  weight  of  evidence  in  the  case,  as  stated,  was 
certainly  on  the  side  of  the  miracle. 

Let  us  now  pass  on  a  step,  and  take  into  consideration 
whether  it  was  more  reasonable  for  the  by-standers  to  have 
believed  that  a  miracle  had  been  wrought,  or  to  have  still 
maintained  that  no  exemption  can  take  place. 

What  proofs  had  they  of  the  latter?  Their  own  life-long 
observations,  snarls  out  the  Infidel.  Very  well,  are  we  to 
believe  nothing  more  than  what  our  life-long  observations 
have  taught  us  ? 

If  so,  the  writer  of  this  may  deny  everything  that  hap- 
pened previous  to  the  12th  of  April,  1840.  On  the  other 
hand,  what  proof  had  they  that  there  was  an  exemption 
from  nature's  law?  They  had  the  testimony  of  their  sen- 
ses— actual  observation.  They  could  not  have  been  deceived 
in  this  matter  any  more  than  the  paralytic  himself.  A  de- 
lusion could  not  have  taken  place  under  the  circumstances, 
as  narrated  in  the  Scriptures. 

The  Pharisees,  who  would  have  been  most  exceedingly 
well  pleased  to  have  caught  the  Saviour  in  a  fraud,  did  not 
deny  its  truth  ;  but  found  fault  because  the  miracle  was 
performed  on  the  Sabbath. 

We  may  now  consider  this  fact  from  a  third  stand 
point. 

Which  is  more  reasonable,  that  we,  of  'the  present  day, 
should  deny  what  is  said  in  the  Scriptures  about  this  mira- 
cle, or  believe  that  nature  jiermitted  an  exemption  in  that 
particular  case? 

To  answer  this  question  fully,  would  require  that  we 
should  discuss  the  motives  of  credibility  for  the  authenticity 
and  veracity  of  the  Scriptures.  To  do  so,  at  length,  does 
not  full  within  the  limits  of  our  present  plan,  but  we  may 
ply,  in  general  terms,  as  follows  : 


294  ALETHAURION. 

Since  the  Gospel  of  St.  John,  in  which  mention  is  made 
of  the  miracle,  has,  from  the  time  it  was  first  written,  been 
regarded  as  authentic  and  true  by  the  best  and  wisest  men 
that  have  lived  on  earth ;  since  the  Catholic  Church,  which 
goes  back,  as  an  organized  society  to  the  day  of  Pente- 
cost, has  ever  borne  testimony  to  the  truth  of  what  the  same 
Gospel  relates  ;  since,  in  a  word,  the  civilized  world,  for 
upwards  of  eighteen  centuries,  has  been  of  the  same  belief, 
let  the  Infidels  bring  forward  real  substantial  motives  for 
denying  the  truth  of  what  is  therein  related. 

When  there  is  question  of  a  new  miracle,  the  burden  of 
proof  lies  with  him  who  affirms  ;  but,  when  speaking  of  one 
that  has  been  admitted  for  ages,  then  he  w4io  denies  must 
furnish  reasons  for  his  mibelief . 

This  is  what  Infidelity  has  never  been  able  to  do,  and  there 
is  no  likelihood  that  future  efforts  will  be  crowned  with  better 
success. 

In  our  next  we  will  take  up  and  discuss  some  well  authen- 
ticated cases  not  found  in  scripture. 


CHAPTER  LXXI. 


MIRACLES. 

In  the  last  chapter,  we  took  one  of  the  many  miracles  per- 
formed by  the  Saviour,  to  show  that  a  person  may  have  the 
same  certainty,  as  regards  such  a  fact,  that  he  has  of  his 
own  existence. 

The  reasons  there  given  are  also  applicable  to  those  super- 
natural works  executed  by  the  Apostles.  The  lame  man 
that  St.  Peter  cured  at  the  gate  of  the  temple,  which  was 
called  "the  beautiful,"  knew,  by  the  testimony  of  his  senses, 
that  he  had  been  a  cripple  for  a  number  of  years,  and  was 
equally  sure  that,  with  the  words  '*arise  and  walk,"  he  got 
his  footing  instantaneously. 


ALETHAURION.  295 

He  had  what  philosophers  call  metaphysical  certainty  of  a 
miracle.  Those  who  stood  by  at  the  time  Peter  said  the 
words,  and  saw  the  cripple  straighten  his  limbs  and  walk, 
were  physically  certain  that  a  supernatiin;]  work  had  been 
done.  We,  of  the  present  day,  supported  by  the  authority 
of  the  Roman  Church,  strengthened  by  the  testimony  of  the 
millions  of  Martyrs,  who  shed  their  blood  in  attestation  of 
the  truth  of  all  that  is  related  in  the  scripture — we  have 
moral  certitude  respecting  the  miracles  of  Christ  and  of  the 
Apostles. 

The  Infidel,  who  does  not  wish  to  admit  the  doctrine  of 
miracles,  must  in  order  to  be  consistent,  deny  the  authenti- 
city and  veracity  of  the  New  Testament.  To  do  so  comes 
easy  to  him,  but  to  sustain  that  denial,  by  solid  arguments, 
is  another  thing. 

Thus  far,  in  every  encounter,  the  Christian  philosopher 
Has  sent  the  Infidel  to  the  hospital  for  repairs. 

But,  where  so  much  remains  to  be  done,  we  ought  not  to 
glory  in  what  has  been  achieved.  If  Catholics  devoted  half 
as  much  time  to  the  study  of  their  religion  as  they  do  to 
reading  lascivious  stories,  in  some  of  the  weekly  papers,  we 
would  have  fewer  avowed  Infidels  in  the  land.  Each  well- 
instructed  believer  would  be  like  a  strong  fortress,  not  only 
impregnable  himself,  but  radiating  a  salutary  influence  for 
miles  around,  over-aw^ing  error  and  its  champions.  But,  un- 
fortunately, such  is  not  the  case,  to  any  great  extent.  And 
w^hy  is  it  not  thus? 

We  have  many  excellent  colleges,  in  which  first-class  liter- 
ary, scientifical  and  classical  courses  are  taught.  There  is, 
probably,  a  yearly  average  of  200  young  men  sent  out  from 
them  into  the  great  world,  with  their  parchments  signed, 
sealed  and  delivered.  Do  these  young  bachelors  of  art,  ex- 
ercise, in  religious  matters,  an  influence  commensurate  with 
the  money  expended  on  them  by  their  parents? 

Some,  no  doubt,  do  so,   but   the   vast   majority   do    not. 


296  '  ALETHAURION. 

And  the  reason  is  plain.  Theology  is  not  taught,  as  a  regu- 
lar study,  in  our  colleges,  and  why  it  is  not,  has  been  a  mys- 
tery to  the  writer  ever  since  he  was  a  boy.  The  average 
graduate,  on  exhibition  day,  sings  off  his  speech  and  receives 
his  diploma  amidst  the  clapping  of  hands  and  general  re- 
joicing of  friends. 

The  rector  of  the  the  college,  without  a  smile  on  his  face, 
or  even  a  twinkle  in  his  eye,  gravely  tells  the  assembled 
spectators  that,  not  for  years  past,  have  they  had  a  more 
promising  class  of  graduates.  Then,  turning  to  the  young 
hopefuls,  he  conjures  them  to  make  a  judicious  use  of  that 
great  power  which  learning  gives. 

Our  bachelor  of  arts  next  leaves  his  alma  mater,  as  full 
of  conceit  as  an  egg  is  of  meat,  lie  is  too  much  afraid  of 
making  an  injudicious  U!?e  of  his  great  learning  to  ever  think 
of  fooling  with  so  dangerous  an  agent.  People's  heads 
might  get  turned,  you  know  !  And  thus  inflated,  he  treads 
the  streets  of  his  native  village,  until  he  runs  across  the 
town  blacksmith,  who  has,  for  a  time  past,  been  devoting 
his  leisure  hours  to  the  study  of  Infidel  tracts  ;  and  the 
graduate  «:ets  floored.  He  then  begins  to  tell  his  friends 
that  the  blacksmith  is  nothing  but  a  shallow  mechanic  at  best, 
and  that  he  disdains  to  have  another  word  with  so 
ignorant  a  fellow.  There  ought  to  be  in  each  and  every  one 
of  our  chartered  colleges  a  chair  of  theology,  taught  in 
English. 

There  is  no  need  that  we  should  here  attempt  to  show 
wljat  good  results  would  follow  from  such  a  course.  They 
are  evident  at  a  glance. 

In  our  seminaries,  the  science  is  taught  reasonably  well, 
though,  in  some  places,  none  too  well  to  boast  of.  If  the 
same  w^ere  done  in  colleges,  the  graduate  would  become  a 
powerful  ally  of  the  pastor  in  the  dissemination  of  religious 
knowledge,  whereas,  he  is  now  of  little  or  no  advantage,  be- 
cause he  has  only  been  taught  the  shorter  catechism,  and 
that  in  a  flimsy  way. 


ALETIIAUEION.  '  297 

At  the  suggestion  of  Archbishop  Hughes,  there  was,  at 
one  time,  added  to  the  regular  course,. in  some  of  our  con- 
vent schools,  a  branch  of  learning  called  domestic  economy. 
The  girls  were  taught  to  cook  without  burning  their  fingers, 
and  to  know  by  experience  the  difference  between  a  griddle 
and  a  flat-iron.  He  judged  well  and  wisely  that  young 
ladies  would  have  need  of  that  sort  of  knowledge  in  after 
life,  and  his  suggestions  were  well  received  and  acted  upon. 

Should  not  boys  also  be  taught  in  colleges  a  science  they 
will,  in  after  life,  have  so  much  need  of,  unless  they  wish 
to  crawl  through  life  as  apostates  or  poltroons? 

Let  us  now  again  return  to  ourselves.  We  started  out 
with  the  intention  of  showing  that  miracles  have  been  per- 
formed since  the  time  of  the  Apostles,  and  here  we  are 
moralizing  on  other  matters. 

Such  is  the  character  of  the  human  mind,  full  of  wander- 
ings and  vagaries.  Yet  the  best  stvle  of  writing  may  be 
that  which  most  nearly  corresponds  to  the  unsystematic 
working  of  each  individual  mind.  We  like  to  hear  others 
speak  on  the  plan  of  our  own  thoughts.  And  the  man  or 
woman  who  thinks  systematically,  without  effort,  is  as 
much  of  a  rarity  as  an  Indian  brave  who  loves  work. 

Protestantism,  which  borders  on  Infidelity,  is  willing  to 
admit  that  Christ  and  the  Apostles  worked  miracles.  But 
since  their  time,  our  separated  brethren  maintain  that  such 
direct  manifestations  of  the  providence  of  God  have  ceased 
entirely. 

It  is  the  same  old  case  of  the  fox  and  the  wild  grapes. 
Neither  Protestantism,  nor  any  other  false  religion,  has 
ever  been  able  to  produce  a  miracle,  and  for  obvious  rea- 
sons. Only  God  can  work  one,  and  He  will  not  contradict 
His  word  by  putting  the  seal  of  His  aproval  upon  a  false 
system. 

But  in  the  true  Church  miracles  have  taken  place,  off 
and  on,  from  the  days  of  the  Apostles.  Let  us  take  a  few 
•^'ell  attested  examples. 


298  ALETHAURION. 

St.  Justin,  martyr,  Apol.  2  n.  6,  Dial,  with  Tryph.  n.  2^ 
bears  witness  to  the  fact  that,  by  the  name  of  Christ,  evil 
spirits  were  expelled,  and  that  the  prophetic  spirit  has 
passed  from  the  Jews  to  the  Christians.  Irexeus,  Hceers, 
ii,  56-57,  says  that  by  the  imposition  of  hands  many  infirm 
persons  were  cured  in  his  day,  and  some  dead  restored  to 
life. 

Origen,  Cont.  Cels.  iii,  n.  24,  says  he  saw  many  sick 
persons  cured  by  the  invocation  of  the  name  of  Christ,  and 
by  the  sign  of  the  Cross.  St.  Ambrose,  Bishop  of  Milan, 
fifth  century,  tells  us  he  was  an  eye  witness  of  the  miracles- 
at  the  tombs  of  the  martyrs,  Sts.  Gervase  and  Protase. 
St.  Augustine,  City  of  God,  xxii,  c.  8,  speaks  of  the  mir- 
acles performed  in  his  day  by  the  relics  of  St.  Stephen. 
These  are  enough  for  the  early  ages. 

As  regards  our  own  times,  we  may  state  that  the  miracles 
of  Lourdes  and  Knock  are  too  well-known  and  too  well 
authenticated,  to  need  insertion  in  this  place.  Finally,, 
what  can  the  heretics  of  our  times  say  about  the  liquifaction 
of  the  blood  of  St.  tlANARius  ;  that  perpetual  miracle,  that 
no  one  can  deny  nor  call  in  doubt. 

We  leave  these  crumbs  for  our  separated  brethren  to  pick 
at  for  the  present,  and  in  our  next,  we  will  introduce  the 
reader  to  a  chapter  on  apparitions. 


CHAPTER  LXXII 


APPARITIONS. 

Of  spirits  there  are  two  kinds,  the  created  and  the  uncre- 
ated. The  latter,  which  is  identical  with  Gou,  is  not  sub- 
divisible ;  but,  of  the  former,  we  have  three  principal  classes — 
the  good  angels,,  the  demons,  and  the  souls  of  men  separa- 
ted from  their  bodies.  Besides  these,  there  may  also  be 
others,  but  no  knowled2:e  of  them  has  been  revealed  to  us. 


ALETHAUEIOX.  299^ 

It  is  possible  God  may  have  peopled  the  moon  and  the  plan- 
ets that  belong  to  the  solar  system,  with  rational  creatures, 
having  souls,  more  or  less  like  ours  ;  but  we  have  no  proofs 
that  he  has  done  so  ;  and  we  may  never  be  permitted  ta 
know  whether  or  not  he  has. 

The  range  of  human  knowledge  is  very  far  from  being 
infinite,  and,  no  doubt,  there  are  many  truths  regarding  the 
spirit  world  that  will  never  be  dreamt  of  in  our  philosophy 
as  long  as  we  are  in  the  flesh. 

But,  though  our  knowledge  of  the  supernatural  is  limited, 
still,  what  we  do  possess,  is  true  knowledge,  never  to  be  con- 
tradicted by  any  revelations  that  may  be  made  in  the  future 
life.  Our  mental  vision  will  then,  in  all  probability,  be  ren- 
dered more  telescopic,  and  truths  we  now  see,  as  it  were, 
by  starlight,  will  appear  under  the  full  blaze  of  a  noonday 
sun  ;  but  the  same  truths  still. 

There  is  the  same  stability  in  the  moral  that  we  find  in 
the  physical  order  ;  and  we  may  be  very  certain  that  no 
future  event  will  ever  contradict  what  God  has  once  revealed. 

The  subject  of  apparitions  has,  within  the  past  twenty 
years,  called  forth  some  attention  in  these  United  States, 
on  account  of  its  connection  with  what  its  votaries  take  to 
be  an  entirely  new  system  of  religion — spiritualism.  This 
is  nothing  more  nor  less  than  the  theurgy  of  heathen  nations, 
practiced  both  before  and  after  the  Saviour's  coming. 

The  gross  ignorance  in  some  cases,  and  the  vicious  lives 
led  by  its  professors  in  others,  prevent  them  from  seeing 
and  acknowledofino^  this  fact. 

In  the  third  and  fourth  centuries  of  our  era,  the  science 
falsely  so  called,  of  theurgy,  or  spiritualism,  was  carried  to  a 
high  state  of  perfection,  more  so  than  now.  The  apostates 
Julian,  Poephyrius,  Jamblicus,  Maximus,  and  others,  not 
only  believed  in  it,  but  wrote  books  to  show  that,  by  certain 
observances  and  invocations,  one  misfht  conciliate  the  ffood 
will  of  the  spirits,  and  by  their  aid  do  wonderful  works. 

It  is  needless  to  say  that  such  teachings  were  condemned 


300  ALETHAURIOX. 

by  the  Church.  Porphyrius,  indeed,  maintained  that  it 
was  not  necessary  to  worship  the  Supreme  God  at  all ;  and 
that  honor  and  veneration  were  to  be  given,  in  preference, 
to  those  lesser  spirits,  because  they  alone  appeared  to  inter- 
est themselves  in  human  affairs.  It  will  not  be  difficult  for 
a  prudent  man  to  see  the  cloven  foot  and  several  joints  of 
the  dragon's  tail  in  all  this. 

Such  also  appears  to  be  the  principle  that  animates,  and 
gives  a  sombre  interest  to  modern  spiritualism. 

God,  the  Creator,  is  kept  out  of  sight,  and  what  are  sup- 
posed to  be  the  souls  of  departed  friends  come  on  the  stage, 
and  speak  and  act  in  a  manner  to  leave  the  impression  that 
what  Christ  and  the  Apostles  have  taught  us  respecting  the 
future  life,  is  all  a  mistake. 

According  as  Christianity  progressed,  in  the  early  ages, 
theurgy  declined  ;  a  sure  proof  that  the  two  principles  were 
antagonistic.  As  stated  before,  theurgy  has,  within  our 
own  times,  taken  out  a  new  lease  for  these  United  States. 
And  were  it  not  for  the  fact  that  the  civil  war  called  men's 
attention  from  the  elysian  fields,  in  the  realm  of  shades,  to 
tented  fields  beneath  the  moon,  it  is  prol)al)le  that  many  now 
professing  a  bastard  Christianity,  such  as  all  heresy  is, 
would  be,  at  the  present  writing,  full  blown  spiritualists. 

As  happened  in  the  first  ages,  spiritualism  has  also  had 
among  us  a  certain  development  of  parts.  The  devil  is  too 
wary  a  captain  to  tell  everything  he  knows  all  at  once.  He 
understands  that  the  pleasures  of  hope  are  sometimes  more 
savory  than  those  from  thiiigs  actually  possessed.  Like  the 
managers  among  the  Freemasons,  he  makes  his  dupes  be- 
lieve there  is  something  greater  yet  behind  the  curtain  ;  and 
indeed,  there  is — it  is  himself. 

At  the  start,  spiritualism  in  America  consisted  in  little 
else  besides  mysterious  rapping  on  the  doors  and  furniture 
of  rooms  occupied  by  persons  who.  were,  from  that  fact, 
supposed  to  be  favorites  of  the  spirits.  Tables  and  other 
movables  were  next  made  to  waltz  ai'ound  the  floor,  and  this 


ALETHAURION.  301 

was  attributed  to  animal  magnetism.  The  phrase  was  a 
convenient  one  to  give  name  to»  a  force  which  no  one  then 
understood,  nor  understands  now. 

The  next  step  was  to  establish,  by  the  rappings,  a  com- 
munication between  the  medium  and  the  spirits,  so  that 
there  might  be  an  exchange  of  ideas.  This  was  effected, 
and  gave  satisfaction  for  a  while.  After  this,  came  for  the 
medium,  the  states  of  coma  and  clairvoyance.  In  the  for- 
mer, he  or  she,  generally  she,  remained  as  if  dead,  utterly 
unconscious  of  all  that  was  going  on  around  her.  But,  in 
the  latter  state,  her  eyes  were  opened  to  things  happening 
hundreds  of  miles  away,  which  were  described  to  those  near 
by  with  fidelity  and  accuracy. 

The  following  narrative,  as  apropos  to  the  matter  in  hand, 
will  not  be  considered  out  of  place  in  this  connection.  We 
suppress  the  names  of  persons  for  obvious  reasons : 

Some  twenty  years  ago  there  lived  in,  or  near,  the  town 

of  E ,  Maryland,  a  man  who  owned    a  negro  girl    that 

was  a  medium  or  pythoness.  This  girl  had  the  reputation 
of  being,  moreover,  a  clairvoyant.  But,  unlike  that  other 
mentioned  in  the  Scriptures,  she  was  a  source  of  bothera- 
tion lather  than  gain  to  her  master.  There  were,  as  a  mat- 
ter of  course,  persons  who  would  not  believe.  So  in  or- 
der to  have  the  case  fairly  tested,  it  was  agreed  to  hold, 
on  a  certain  day,  a  spiritual  seance  in  town.  Many  were 
invited,  and  among  others,  according  to  my  informant 
a  certain  Catholic  gentleman  who  lives,  at  present,  in  the 
South,  and  on  the  left  bank  of  the  Father  of  Waters. 

W^hen  the  day  came,  the  slavcsholder  was  on  hand  with  his 
pythoness,  an  unmistakble  African,  presenting  a  rare  con- 
trast of  ebony  and  ivory,  and  somewhat  elated  withal,  at  her 
importance,  in  the  estimation  of  white  folks. 

The  pythoness,  having  gone  into  the  state  of  clairvoyance, 
was  asked  divers  questions,  concerning  persons  and  things  at 
a  distance,  to  all  of  which  she  returned  correct  answers. 
She  described  places   and   public  buildings   in   Baltimore, 


302  ALETHAURION. 

where  she  was  known  to  have  never  been,  and  gave  a  ver- 
batim report  of  part  of  a  speech  that  was  then  being  deliv- 
ered at  a  political  meeting  in  the  same  city.  She  accurately 
described  the  interior  of  the  Catholic  Church,  in  the  town, 
though  she  had  never  been  inside  of  it.  She  spoke  of  the 
candlesticks  on  the  altar,  and  the  light  burning  before  it. 

When  asked  what  that  light  was  for,  she  said  it  was  to 
honor  something  kept  on  the  altar,  inside  of  a  little  door 
that  was  there.  But,  when  requested  to  tell  what  that 
something  really  was,  she  became  speechless,  and,  with 
foam  on  her  lips,  she  went  into  a  spasm,  and  heaved  and 
kicked,  like  the  Sibyl  of  Cupise,  which  brought  the  confer- 
ence to  an  abrupt  end. 

After  clairvoyance,  in  the  spiritualistic  order,  came  direct 
manifestations,  that  is,  the  forms  and  features  of  departed 
friends  appeared  to  the  mediums,  and  to  other  favored  per- 
sons. The  best  example  of  this  kind  that  now  occurs  to  the 
writer,  is  that  which  happened  in  Virginia  City,  Nevada, 
some  four  years  ago,  which  the  reader,  in  all  probability, 
recollects. 

The  latest  development  consists  in  the  materialization  of 
the  spirit.  The  departed  friend  not  only  appears,  niitural 
as  in  life,  but  converses  of  old  times,  and  makes  himself 
quite  agreeable  and  at  home,  in  the  company  of  his  former 
associates.  The  spiritualists  look  forward  to  a  still  brighter 
era,  when  our  departed  kinsfolk  will  return  and  reside  with 
us  in  a  yet  more  permanent  and  satisfactory  way. 

Thus  developments  will  go  on,  until  the  delusion  is  dis- 
pelled by  the  rays  of  that  Faith  which  alone  sheds  a  true 
light  on  man's  future  destiny. 

In  our  next  we  will  speak  of  the  apparitions  of  God. 


ALETHAURION.  303 

CHAPTER   LXXIII. 


THEOPHAXIE. 

This  word  signifies  the  Divine  apparition — the  manifesta- 
tion to  mortal  eyes  of  no  less  a  being  than  the  Almighty. 
Theologians  disagree  as  regards  its  reality,  and  the  question 
is  one  not  easily  solved.  Those  who  deny  the  theophanie, 
entrench  themselves  behind  what  we  read  in  the  book  of  Ex- 
odus, xxxii,  20. 

It  is  stated,  that  Moses,  having  asked  God  to  show  Him- 
self, received  this  answer : 

'"Thou  canst  not  see  my  face,  for  man  shall  not  see  me  and  live.*' 

They  who  believe  in  the  theophanie  also  bring  forward 
texts  of  Scripture,  in  support  of  their  position. 

It  is  evident,  say  they,  from  the  Old  Testament,  that  God 
appeared  and  spoke  to  Adam,  under  some  sensible  form,  in 
the  Garden  of  Eden.  It  is  no  less  sure  that  he  manifested 
himself  to  Noah,  Abraham,  Isaac,  Jacob,  to  Moses,  and  to 
many  of  the  prophets. 

Neither  is  it  likely  that  a  me.re  angel  would  have  said  to  a 
Jewish  law  giver,  **  I  am  the  God  of  thy  father,  the  God  of 
Abraham,  the  God  of  Isaac,  the  God  of  Jacob,"  Exodus, 
iii,  6.  Nor  to  the  children  of  Israel,  assembled  at  the  foot 
of  Mount  Sinai,  *'  I  am  the  Lord  your  God,  who  brought 
you  out  of  the  hind  of  Egypt." 

From  these  texts  it  would  appear  that  it  was  not  an  angel, 
but  God  himself,  that  spoke  on  those  occasions. 

Yet,  we  are  told,  on  the  other  hand,  Acts  vii,  37,  that  it 
was  an  angel  spoke  to  Moses  on  Mount  Sinai,  and  in  the 
same  chapter  verse  53,  St.  Stephen  says  to  the  Jews,  <*You 
have  received  the  law  by  the  disposition  of  angels." 

Let  us  see  if  we  cannot  reconcile  these  belligerents.  Some 
of  the  Fathers  have  maintained  that  the  second  person  of 
the  Blessed  Trinity,  viz :  the  Word   of  God,  appeared   at 


304  AT-ETHAURIOX. 

I 

least  on  some  occasions,  to  the  patriarchs  and  prophets  of 
the  Old  Law.  This  apparition  of  the  Son  of  God  to  man, 
before  having  been  born  of  the  Virgin  Mary,  is  precisely 
vvhat  theologians  understand  by  the  theophanie.  There  are 
not  wanting  those  who  have  even  hazarded  the  opinion  that 
the  high  priest  Melchisedec,  to  whom  Abraham  paid 
tithes  ,  was  no  other  than  the  Word,  who,  before  His  incar- 
nation, had  taken  human  form  and  lived  here  for  a  time 
among  men,  though  His  body  was  by  no  means  real,  but 
only  such  to  outward  appearance. 

St.  Paul,  Hebrews,  vii,  speakingof  this  mysterious  man, 
who  figures  only  once  in  sacred  history,  calls  him  the  king 
of  justice,  the  king  of  peace,  titles  which  the  ancient  prophets 
gave  to  the  future    Messiah. 

He  also  says  that  Melchisedec  w^as  ''  without  father, 
without  mother,  without  genealogy,  having  neither  beginning 
of  days  nor  end  of  life,  but  likened  into  the  Son  of  God, 
continueth  a  priest  forever." 

Commentators  explain  away  the  force  of  this  very  singu- 
lar text  by  saying,  that  he  is  reputed  to  have  had  neither 
father  nor  mother,  beginning  of  days  nor  end  of  life,  be- 
cause mention  is  not  made  of  these  facts  in  Scripture.  More- 
over, say  those  who  are  not  willing  to  admit  that  sort  of  a 
theophanie,  if  Melchisedec  and  the  Divine  Word  had  been 
one  and  the  same  person,  St.  Paul  could  not  have  said  that 
he  was  likened  to  the  Son  of  God.  A  person  who  is  likened 
to  another  is  evidently  not  that  other. 

We  do  not  here  wish  to  either  affirm  or  deny  in  the  case 
as  stated,  for  one  side  looks  as  reasonable  as  the  other. 

Since  it  is  certain  that  God  can  manifest  himself  to  man 
under  whatever  shape  he  pleases,  it  is  likewise  true,  that  he 
can,  at  pleasure,  prolong  such,  for  days,  months   or   years. 

Let  us  return  to  that  objection  against  the  theophanie 
founded  on  what  is  said  in  Acts  vii,  that  it  was  an  angel 
spoke  to  Moses  ;  that  the  law  was  given  by  the  disposition 
of  angels,  etc.     There  is  really  no  difficulty  here  presented. 


ALETHAUBION.  305 

if  we  remember  that  the  word  angel  expresses,  not  the  na- 
ture, but  the  office  of  those  spirits. 

The  expression  means  a  messei^er,  and  is  sometimes 
applied  even  to  man  in  the  Scriptures. 

The  prophet  Isaias,  according  to  the  Septuagint,  ix,  6, 
calls  the  future  Messiah  the  angel  of  the  great  council. 
Hence,  the  employment  of  that  word  in  Acts  is  no  proof 
against  thet  theophanie.  The  Second  Person  could,  with 
propriety,  have  been  called  an  angel,  while  making  known 
to  mankind  what  had  been' decided  in  the  great  council — 
viz  :  by  the  most  Holy  Trinity. 

As  regards  what  is  said  in  Exodus,  that  man  cannot  see 
God  and  live,  we  may  answer  that  the  words  evidently  refer 
to  the  beatific  vision  which  the  just  enjoy  in  the  future  life. 
As  long  as  we  live  here,  we  cannot  see  God  as  he  appears 
to  the  saints  in  heaven,  because  of  the  grossness  of  our  in- 
tellects. Our  entire  being  would  have  to  undergo  a  trans- 
formation preparatory  to  such  an  event.  With  our  present 
faculties  we  could  not  take  in  so  much  ;  for,  if  we  some- 
times find  a  difficulty  in  understanding  earthly  things,  how 
much  more  those  heavenly  scenes. 

A  teacher  may  instruct  his  pupils  in  sciences,  because  they 
are  rational,  and  have  minds  capable  of  grasping  and  retain- 
ing such  truths  ;  but  it  requires  no  argument  to  convince  us 
that  it  would  be  a  loss  of  time,  should  one  attempt  to  teach 
poetry  to  a  sow  and  pigs,  or  metaphysics  to  a  cage  of  wild 
asses. 

Poetry  is  not  farther  above  the  comprehension  of  swine 
than  are  many  heavenly  truths  beyond  ours  ;  though  Infidels 
would  have  us  believe  that  men  are  now  so  wise  as  to  be 
nearly  on  a  level  with  the  Deity. 

But  the  greatest  theophanie  of  all  was  that  which  took 
place  at  the  birth  of  the  Son  of  God.  As  he  is  the  center 
figure  of  creation,  so  his  appearance  in  human  shape,  true 
God  and  true  man,  is  the  event,  excellent  beyond  all  others, 


306  ALETHAUKION. 

in  this  world's  history.  It  is  a  mysterious  fact,  that,  some- 
thing upwards  of  eighteen  centuries  ago,  there  lived,  on 
this  earth,  a  man,  who  was  the  Almighty  God,  Father,  Son 
and  Holy  Ghost,  the  creator  and  conserver  of  all  things, 
visible  and  invisible. 

A  being,  who  could,  by  one  simple  act  of  His  will,  anni- 
hilate time  and  space  by  putting  a  period  to  all  co-existing 
and  successive  things,  of  which  time  and  space  are  but  the 
relations. 

Our  next  will  be  about  the  angels. 


CHAPTER  LXXIV. 


THE    ANGELS. 


All  we  know  from  scripture  and  tradition  concerning 
angels,  whether  good  or  bad,  may  be  placed  under  some 
one  of  the  following  heads  :  Their  existence,  their  nature, 
their  duties,  their  grace,  the  fall  of  many  of  them,  their 
punishment,  their  attempts  to  lead  men  from  the  paths  of 
rectitude. 

St.  Thomas  Aquinas,  sometimes  called  the  angelic  doc- 
tor, on  account  of  the  clearness  of  his  perceptions,  has,  in 
his  Summa  Theologica,  many  interesting  speculations  in 
their  regard. 

SuAREZ,  another  renowned  theologian,  wrote  an  entire 
volume  in  folio  about  them.  But,  as  big  books  are  not 
much  in  vogue  now,  we  shall  endeavor  to  condense,  putting 
on  the  stage  only  what  may  please  and  instruct. 

The  existence  of  angels  is  so  clearly  taught  in  scripture 
that,  to  quote  particular  passages,  would  seem  a  superfluity. 
Not  only  the  Jews,  but  even  Pagan  nations  believed  in  them. 
The  Sadducees,  an  unimportant  sect,  existing  in  our  Saviour's 
time,  along  with  denying  the  immortality  of  the  soul,  refused 
also  to  believe  there  were  in  existence  any  such  being. 


ALETHAUKION.  307 

But,  as  those  sectarians  were  comparatively  few  and  ex- 
tremely ignorant,  their  refusal  to  believe  does  not  interfere 
with  the  chain  of  traditional  evidence  in  proof  of  angelic 
existence,  any  more  than  the  ravings  of  a  few  Infidels  of 
our  times  can  be  said  to  contradict  the  universal  belief  of 
mankind  in  the  existence  of  a  Supreme  Being. 

Concerning  the  nature  of  angels  it  may  be  said  that  they 
are  complete  immaterial  substances.  We  say  complete 
because  not  created  for  union  with  any  other.  Our  souls, 
on  the  contrary,  though  spiritual,  are  not  complete,  because 
of  a  nature  to  inhabit  and  be  united  with  our  bodies. 

Hence,  the  resurrection  of  the  body  and  its  reunion  with 
the  spirit,  may  be  regarded  as  necessary  to  the  soul's  entire 
perfection. 

Here,  also,  we  may  take  notice  of  an  error  which  we 
sometime  find  among  the  people.  The  fond  mother  who 
has  lost  her  little  infant  tries  to  console  herself  by  imagining 
that  he  is  now  metamorphosed  into  a  cherub.  She  is  mis- 
taken ;  yet,  it  would  not  be  prudent  to  tell  her  so,  for  fear 
of  being  thought  invidious,  and  recorded  an  enemy  of  the 
family. 

Some  of  the  ancient  fathers  of  the  Church,  such  as  Ter- 
TULLIAN,  Origen  and  Clement,  of  Alexandria,  were  of  the 
opinion  that  the  angels  had  bodies,  but  of  a  very  subtle 
nature,  such  as  that  of   our  Saviour  after  His    resurrection. 

This  opinion,  which,  though  not  heretical,  yet  approaches 
thereto,  is  no  longer  tenable,  as  will  appear  from  a  decision 
of  the  fourth  Council  of  Lateran,  Cap.  Firmiter. 

According  to  the  common  opinion  of  theologians,  the 
angels  are  divided  into  three  hierarchies,  and  each  of 
these  into  three  orders  or  choirs.  The  first  comprises  Ser- 
aphs, Cherubs  and  Thrones  ;  the  second,  Denominations, 
Virtues  and  Powers ;  the  third,  Principalities,  Archangels 
and  Angels. 

As  regards  the  duties  of  those  blessed  spirits,  we  can 
have  but  little  to  say  since  but  little   has  been   revealed   to 


308  ALETHAURION. 

US  on  the  subject.  We  may  presume  that  their  primary 
duty  is  to  praise  God,  and  in  general  to  execute  His  com- 
mands, according  to  the  words  of  St.  Paul,  Heb.  i,  14  : 

'•'■  They  are  all  ministering  spirits,  sent  to  minister,  on  account  of  those 
who  receive  the  inheritance  of  salvation." 

Catholics  believe  that  each  individual,  born  into  this 
world,  has,  at  the  hour  of  his  birth,  appointed  to  him  a 
guardian  angel,  w^io  is  his  companion  through  life,  and 
never  abandons  him  until  the  soul  is  separated  from  the 
body  by  death.  It  is  well,  however,  to  bear  in  mind  that^ 
though  it  is  not  of  faith  that  the  angels  keep  guard  over 
mankind  in  general,  yet,  it  is  not  of  faith  that  each  man  and 
woman  has  a  s^uardian  ano:el  of  his  own. 

Some  very  ancient  writers,  such  as  Hekmas,  Methodius, 
Origen,  Athenagoras,  Epiphanius  and  Theodoret,  were 
indeed  more  prodigal  of  angelic  service.  They  spoke  as  if 
those  blessed  spirits  guarded  not  only  individual  men,  but 
also  cattle,  trees  and  plants. 

Such  an  opinion  was  never  approved  by  the  Church,  and, 
in  fact,  it  has  the  appearance  of  stretching  matters  to  the 
snapping  point. 

That  angels   are   entrusted  with   the   care    of   men,  may 

easily  be  gathered  from  Matthew,  xviii,  10.  . 

''  See  that  you  do  not  condemn  one  of  these  little  ones;  for  I  say  to 
you,  that  their  angels  in  Heaven  always  see  the  face  of  my  father." 

Possibly  some  of  our  readers  may  now  ask  us  to  tell  at 
what  time  were  the  angels  first  created,  and  how  long 
Lucifer  and  his  followers  remained  faithful,  also  the  num- 
ber of  those  that  fell,  as  compared  with  the  others  that  did 
not. 

We  answer  according  to  the  light  given  us.  The  period 
of  their  creation  is  unknown.  If  we  descend  to  probabili- 
ties, it  would  appear  reasonable  to  say  their  creation  was 
coeval  with  that  of  the  material  universe.  Neither  would 
there  be  any  great  extravagance   in   holding   that  some  of 


ALETHAURION.  309 

those  we  now  regard  as  angels,  may  have  been  the  inhabi- 
tants of  this  earth  before  the  creation  of  the  present  race 
of  Adam. 

"When  the  day  of  final  judgment  shall  have  come  for  us, 
the  Supreme  Being  may  again  people  this  orb  with  a  dif- 
ferently shaped  race  of  mortals,  as  profoundly  ignorant  of 
us  as  we  now  are  of  any  other  that  may  have  existed  here 
before  us. 

As  regards  the  length  of  time  that  passed  from  the 
creation  of  the  angels  to  the  fall  of  Lucifer,  we  have  no 
means  of  arriving  at  a  certain  knowledge.  Aquinas  is  of 
opinion,  that  the  moment  of  his  creation  was  that  of  his 
rebellion,  which  may  be  regarded  as  the  most  probable. 
For  angels  being  by  nature,  simple  intelligences,  do  not 
require  length  of  time  to  arrive  at  full  intellectual  per- 
fection. 

The  angels  were  all  created  in  the  grace  and  friendship  of 
God,  but  in  a  state  of  probation.  One  act  was  to  have 
brought  them  never  ending  glory  or  irretrievable  ruin. 
The  sin  of  those  who  fell  was  pride.  We  do  not  know, 
however,  what  was  given  them  by  the  Almighty  as  a  test  of 
their  love  and  obedience.  Some  say  He  proposed  for  their 
adoration  the  future  sacred  humanity  of  our  Lord.  But 
Lucifer,  seeing  his  own  great  superiority  to  man,  refused, 
and  with  a  third  of  the  heavenly  host,  who  had  looked  up 
to  him  as  a  leader,  was  expelled  from  the  presence  of  God 
and  condemned  to  eternal  misery. 

Since  the  angels  are  pure  spirits,  it  troubles  some  of  our 
Infidel  friends  to  know  how  they  can  take  bodies  not  subject 
to  the  ordinary  laws  of  matter.  Others  persist  in  regarding 
all  such  apparitions  as  entirely  subjective,  that  is,  as  having 
no  reality  outside  the  brain  of  him  who  pretends  to  have 
seen  them — like  the  snakes  seen  by  one  who  is  in  the  hor- 
rors. 

But  it  will  scarcely  do  to   put  the   patriarchs   and   other 


310  ALETHAURION. 

holy  men,  both  of  the  Old  and  New  Law,  in  the  same 
category  with  confirmed  drunkards. 

Moreover,  how  do  we  know  that  the  toads  and  snakes 
seen  by  the  inebriate  have  not  an  objective  reality  ?  Why 
does  he  see  dragons  and  horrible  forms  instead  of  things 
more  pleasing  to  contemplate?  Arise  ye  Infidels,  and 
explain. 

Our  next  will  be  about  the  fallen  angels  and  their  deeds 
of  darkness. 


CHAPTEK  LXXV. 


•    THE    DEVIL. 

This  distinguished  character  needs  no  lengthy  introduction 
at  our  hands.  He  is  well,  though  not  favorably,  known  to 
all  men.  Some  modern  wretches  have  tried  to  lecture  him 
out  of  office  and  existence.  But  he  yet  lives,  and  will  get 
even  some  day  with  his  mercenary  persecutors. 

The  subject  of  our  remarks  first  saw  light  in  heaven,  and 
was  such  a  beauty  that  he  got  the  name  of  Lucifer.  He 
was  the  most  favored  of  all  the  angelic  host,  but  proved 
ungrateful,  as,  from  a  creature  and  a  subject,  he  sought  to 
elevate  himself  to  an  equality  with  the  Omnipotent. 

Men  sometimes  imitate  Lucifer  in  this  particular. 
Raised  to  positions,  to  which  merit  does  not  entitle  them, 
they  make  war  on  their  benefactors. 

Since  man  has  not  betimes  the  power  to  undo  what  he  has 
done,  nor  to  cast  down  the  unworthy,  whom  he  has  elevated, 
it  becomes  of  importance  to  him,  when  in  power,  to  put 
forward  only  the  virtuous  and  the  just.  Rulers  suffer  more 
through  the  short-comings  of  favorites  than  by  the  malice 
of  their  enemies. 

God  can  allow  the  wicked  to  rise  and  prosper  for  a  time, 
because  He  has  the  power  to  set  bounds  to  the  evil  they  may 


ALETHAURION.  311 

do.  The  impious  He  can  permit  to  succeed,  that  their  final 
discomforture  mav  be  the  more  si<i^nal — tolluntur  in  altum 
ut  lapsii  graviori  ruant^  says  the  Latin  proverb. 

But  the  providence  of  man  must  discriminate,  in  order  to 
be  conformed,  in  the  first  phice,  in  the  eternal  fitness  of 
things,  and  in  the  second,' to  Avard  off  ruin  which  will  surely 
come  whenever  a  great  principle  is  disregarded. 

By  that  in  which  a  man  has  sinned  most,  by  the  same  shall 
he  be  most  bitterly  punished.  The  unworthy  creature  be- 
comes the  torment  of  his  creator. 

After  having  raised  the  standard  of  revolt,  Lucifer  ceased 
to  shine  in  the  heavens,  and  was  exiled  to  a  kingdom  made 
expressly  for  himself  and  his  followers  for  all  time.  There 
he  now  reigns,  as  ugly  as  he  was  once  beautiful. 

Some  of  our  readers  may  have  asked  themselves  the  ques- 
tion, why  such  a  difference  was  made  between  the  sin  of  our 
first  parents  and  that  of  the  fallen  angels.  Lucifer  sinned 
but  once,  and,  on  the  instant,  he  was  condemned  without 
hope  for  the  future.  Adam  sinned,  but  though  he,  too,  was 
punished  by  expulsion  from  Eden,  yet  the  hope  of  a  future 
Redeemer  was  not  withheld. 

Men,  at  the  present  day,  often  sin  mortally,  and  are 
rarely  struck  dead  on  the  instant,  but  given  time  for  repent- 
ance. Why  such  discrimination  in  our  favor?  We  reply, 
first  of  all,  that  on  questions  of  this  sort,  we  do  not  wish  to 
put  on  our  opinions  any  other  label  than  a  may  he  so. 

Yet,  there  is  reason,  and  a  most  excellent  one,  for  each 
act  of  God,  though  man,  in  his  shortness  ot  vision,  may  not 
be  able  to  see  it.  In  the  present  instance,  we  may  possibly 
find  a  cause  why  justice  was  exercised  in  the  case  of  Lucifer, 
and  mercy  in  that  of  Adam,  by  taking  note  of  the  difference 
between  the  hiiman  and  the  an2:elic  nature. 

Angels  are  simple  intelligences.  Whatever  they  are  ca- 
pable of  understanding  at  all  is  perfectly  comprehended  in 
all  its  bearings  in  one  instant.  No  portion  of  their  knowl- 
edge lies  dormant.  It  is  all  present  to  them  at  one  and  the 
same  time,  but  without  confusion  of  parts. 


312  ALETHAURION. 

When  a  man  writes  a  speech,  and  then  learns  it  off,  for 
the  purpose  of  declamation,  he  may  be  said  to  know  that 
speech.  But  his  knowledge  is  only  consecutive,  not  simul- 
taneous. It  is  thus,  also,  with  most,  if  not  all,  his  other 
acts. 

The  memory  is  defective,  the  understanding  more  so,  and 
consequently  the  act  of  the  will  is  rarely  perfect,  either  for 
good  or  for  evil. 

With  an  angel,  the  case  is  different.  The  very  first  acjt 
of  the  angelic  will  was  perfect.  Hence,  eternal  union  with 
God  was  the  result  among  the  good  and  eternal  hatred 
among  the  others. 

The  redemption  of  the  bad  angels  became  impossible,  be- 
cause their  entire  being  had  become  adverse  to  God,  and  de- 
praved. Any  attempt  to  convert  Lucifer  may,  therefore, 
be  given  up  as  a  fruitless  undertaking.  If  Adam  had  be- 
come totally  depraved,  as  some  of  the  sects  maintain,  his 
redemption  would  also  have  been  out  of  the  question. 

Kotwithstandino^  the  condition  of  man  is  such,  during  his 
probationary  term  here  on  earth,  that  he  never  need  des- 
pair, even  though  his  sins  may  be  as  red  as  scarlet,  still  he 
also,  during  his  mortal  life,  may  become    totally    depraved. 

This  deplorable  condition  is  brought  about  by  the  sin 
against  the  Holy  Ghost.  The  will  thus  becomes  polarized 
in  iniquity,  and  the  man  who  has  committed  it  will  never  be 
forgiven,  because  he  will  never  repent. 

After  having  been  expelled  from  heaven,  and  the  gates 
closed  behind  him,  Lucifzr  next  turned  his  attention  to- 
Avards  Father  Ada3i  and  his  youthful,  vain,  and  unsuspect- 
ing bride.  As  by  the  fall  he  had  lost  none  of  his  brilliant 
talents,  but  only  his  beauty,  the  seduction  of  the  pair  was 
easily  accomplished.  ,        ' 

And,  so  satisfactory  was  the  first  attempt,  that  he  and  his 
imps  have  kept  up  the  business  ever  since,  with  good  suc- 
cess, so  far. 

The  belief  in  the    existence  of   Lucifer  and  other    evil 


ALETHAURION.  313 

spirits,  no  matter  by  what  names  they  may  b?  known,  is  as 
old  as  crcMtion,  and  as  wide  spread  as  the  human  family. 
All  which  shows  a  primitive  revelation  on  the  su))ject,  the 
truth  of  which  has  been  confirmed  by  the  observation  of 
ages,  and  even  by  the  Saviour  himself. 

The  principal  and  best  authenticated  apparition  of  Luci- 
TER,  is  that  mentioned  in  the  Gospel,  where  it  is  stated  he 
took  our  Lord  up  into  a  very  high  mountain  and  showed 
Hini  all  the  kingdoms  of  the  earth  and  the  glory  of  them  ; 
promising  at  the  same  time  to  give  Him  all  these  things,  if 
falling  down  He  would. adore. 

It  would  appear  from  this  that  he  did  not  know  at  the 
time  the  real  character  of  the  person  he  was  addressing. 
From  which  fact  we  may  gather  that,  though  knowing,  there 
are  yet  some  things  beyond  his  ken. 

In  subsequent  ages  we  find, in  some  writers,  frequent  men- 
tion of  diabolical  apparitions.  And  it  must  be  said  that 
many  of  the  stories  told  of  his  sable  majesty  are  fine  yarns, 
lacking  only  proof  and  good  sense,  to  make  them  blood 
curdling.  Gorres,  a  Bavarian  Avriter  of  the  last  century, 
has  collected  into  his  work.  Mystique  Diaholique,  many 
such  curious  and  shadowy  legends. 

Luther  tells  of  how  Satax  appeared  to  himself,  and 
argued  him  out  of  the  custom  of  saying  mass,  which  he  had 
kept  up  until  then. 

Many  are  the  stories  written  down  in  books,  especially  in 
the  lives  of  the  Saints,  detailing  the  weird  deeds  of  Satan. 
But  we  pass  by  all  such,  and  will  only  give  the  following, 
the  facts  of  which  were  communicated  to  the  writer  some 
years  ago  by  an  intimate  friend,  who  had  them  from  his 
own  father,  and  he  from  a  gyrovag  bag-piper. 

There  was,  toward  the  close  of  the  last  century,  yet  stand- 
ing, in  the  south  of  Ireland,  an  old  castle  that  had  the  repu- 
tation of  being  haunted.  No  record  could  be  found  to  show 
by  whom  it  had   been   built,  or  Avhen.     It   had,  moreover, 


314  ALETHAURION. 

been  tenantless  for  a  period  reaching  beyond  the  recollec- 
tion of  the  oldest  inhabitant ;  and  many  were  the  legends 
afloat  among  the  country  people  in  regard  to  what  had  been 
seen  and  heard  within  its  walls. 

Few,  if  any,  would  venture  near  the  place  by  night ;  and 
the  school  children  blessed  themselves,  said  their  prayers 
and  ran  by  it  in  the  day  time.  « 

The  mortar  used  in  its  construction  was  said  to  have  been 
a  composition  of  lime,  sand  and  human  blood — a  reason  why 
it  was  so  hard.  But  most  terrible  of  all  were  the  dungeons 
underground,  where  the  skeletons  of  murdered  women  and 
children  added  horror  to  the  darkness  and  the  gloom. 

Moans  also  had  been  heard  there  more  than  once  on  All 
Souls'  night,  mingled  with  the  sighing  of  the  autumnal  blasts  ; 
and  belated  travelers  told  of  how  they  had  listened  to  un- 
earthly screams  and  cries  of  murder,  wafted  on  the  mid- 
night gale,  from  the  direction  of  the  haunted  castle. 

There  were  some  who  did  not  believe  these  things,  and  of 
the  number  was  Jack  O'Disxey,  the  bell-wether  of  all  the 
scapegraces  in  the  neighborhood. 

Jack  said  he  did  not  believe  in  ghosts,  and  that  if  he 
could  only  get  company,  he  would  go  some  night  and  chal- 
lenge Bokaugli  Dhuv  to  a  single  or  four-hand  rubber. 

Two  others,  almost  as  hardened,  volunteered  to  accom- 
pany Jack  ;  and  a  third,  picked  up  on  the  way,  was  dragged 
along,  much  against  his  will,  into  the  main  hall  of  the  evil- 
omened  castle. 

Having  lighted  a  fire,  they  took  seats  and  a  drink  each  as 
the  prelude  to  a  social  game,  as  they  called  it.  Time  passed 
rapidly  on  until  the  hour  of  midnight  came.  Then  a  sound 
like  the  passing  wing  of  an  eagle  was  heard  at  a  window  to 
the  left,  and  the  next  instant  a  whirlwind  swept  down  the 
chimney,  filling  the  hall  with  smoke,  dust  and  soot. 

When  these  had  cleared  away,  on  looking  toward  the 
hearth,  O,  horril)le  to  relate  !  There  stood  the  Bokaugh 
Dhuv,  with  his  hands  locked  behind,  gazing  intently  at  the 


ALETIIAURIOX.  315 

party.  That  look  '  that  look  I  It  had  in  it  all  the  venom 
of  hell.  An  enormous  head,  shaped  like  that  of  a  bull, 
with  horns  and  shaggy  hair,  almost  touched  the  ceiling.  A 
body  of  human  form,  but  black  as  the  outer  darkness, 
rested,  like  an  immense  puncheon,  on  a  pair  of  crooked  legs, 
oU'j  of  which  ended  in  a  club,  and  the  other  in  a  cloven  foot. 
This  deformity,  coupled  with  his  ebon  hue,  caused  him  to 
be  known  among  the  peasantry  as  the  Bokaugh  DJiuv,  or 
'*  Black  Cripple."  He  had  been  seen  time  out  of  mind, 
at  stated  periods,  to  enter  his  castle,  about  dusk  in  the 
evening.     But  he  had  never  appeared  on  the   place    to   any 

one  after  cock-crow. 

» 

As  the  appearance  of  a  comet  was  to  the  ancients  ai^indi- 
cation  of  war,  so  each  open  visit  of  the  Bokaugh  to  the 
castle  foreboded  calamity  of  some  kind. 

The  last  time  he  had  been  seen  was  the  day  before  the 
Balleyea  races,  when  eleven  joeelers  were  clubbed  to  death, 
and  ^YQ  others,  who  had  attempted  to  escape,  in  a  canoe, 
were  capsized  and  drowned.  Thus  his  name  had  become  a 
terror. 

Jack  dropped  from  his  stool  in  a  swoon  ;  and  a  mastiff, 
that  had  followed  one  of  the  others,  an  animal  that  had 
never  shown  fear  before,  now  crouched  at  his  master's  feet 
and  shook.  The  Bokaugh  next  advanced  on  Jack,  and, 
seizing  him  by  the  ear,  lifted  him  off  the  floor,  to  the  ceil- 
ing, and  let  him  drop,  with  a  thud.  Then  said  he,  w^ith  a 
diabolical  laugh,  ^'FU  hang  you  without  a  rope,  because  you 
deserve  it,  and  then  attend  to  these  other  presumptous 
wretches . ' 

Three  charred  dead  bodies  were  found  next  day  ;  and  a 
fourth,  beaten  black  and  blue,  from  his  heels  up,  first  told 
this  horrible  story  of  the  Bokaugh  Dhuv, 

The  bodies  of  the  slain  w^ere  buried  at  Balinorig,  near 
where  the  road  crosses  the  stream,  at  low  water,  and  the 
castle  was  levelled  on  the  following  year. 

In  our  next  we  treat  of  future  punishment. 


316  ALETHAURION. 


CHAPTER  LXXVI 


COXCEENING  HELL. 

Hell  is  that  state  or  place  where  all  who  die  in  mortal  sin 
are  punished,  in  proportion  to  their  guilt.  It  is  opposed  to 
heaven,  where  those  who  have  lived  justly  here  receive  a 
reward,  corresponding  to  their  merits. 

Almost  everything  that  can  be  said  on  this  subject  may 
be  placed  under  some  one  of  the  following  heads  :  Is  hell  a 
reali%?  Where  is  it  located?  What  is  the  character  of  the 
punishments  endured  there  by  the  reprobate?  Will  those 
torments  last  forever? 

In  papers  like  these,  we  have  not  space  to  more  than  skim 
those  questions.  But  inasmuch  as  they  are  of  long  stand- 
ing, we  have  the  satisfaction  of  knowing  that,  by  this  time, 
the  cream  has  pretty  much  all  got  to  the  surface.  Those 
who  love  lighter  diet,  may  go  deeper  and  drink  to  satiety. 
But,  for  our  part,  we  have  no  taste  for  skimmed  milk,  and 
shall  offer  none  to  the  reader. 

Is  it  a  reality?  The  human  race,  in  past  ages,  believed  so, 
at  least.  And  with  comparatively  few  exceptions,  the  same 
view  of  the  case  is  held  now  by  all  nations,  tribes  and 
tongues.. 

Hence,  the  burden  of  proof  lies  with  those  who  wish  to 
be  regarded  as  exceptions  to  the  general  rule,  a  burden 
which  they  cannot  bear. 

The  most  ancient  nations,  of  which  history  gives  us  a 
knowledge,  were  the  Chaldeans,  Egyptians,  Jews,  Greeks 
and  Romans. 

That  the  Chaldeans  believed  in  a  hell,  even  Infidels  ad- 
mit, and  they  attempt  to  explain  the  existence  of  the  same 
belief  among  the  Jews,  by  saying  they  got  it  from  their  con- 
querors,  during  the  Babylonian   capativity.     The  ancient 


ALETHAURION.  317 

Egyptians  not  only  believed  in  the  immortality  of  the  soul, 
and  the  doctrine  of  rewards  and  punishments,  but  also  in  the 
resurrection  of  the  body. 

The  practice  of  miimifying  their  dead  had  its  origin  in 
the  desire  to  preserve  the  body,  until  the  day  of  resurrection. 

It  was  also  the  custom  among  them,  when  one  died,  to 
hold  a  trial  over  his  remains.  Witnesses  were  sworn,  and 
required  to  state  what  kind  of  a  life  he  had  led. 

If  the  judge  discovered,  from  the  evidence,  that  he  had 
been  satisfactorily  moral,  the  body  was  given  over  to  his 
relatives,  to  be  embalmed,  but,  if  the  life  led  had  been  a 
vicious  one,  then  the  carcass  was  allowed  to  return  to  dust. 
This  trial  was  an  emblem  of  that  other,  which  the  Egyptians 
believed  took  place  in  the  spiritual  and  invisible  order. 

So  far  as  the  Greeks  and  Romans  are  concerned,  we  have 
in  their  classic  writings,  the  most  abundant  proofs  of  their 
belief  in  the  doctrine  of  rewards  and  punishments.  There 
were  some  amongst  them,  as  there  are  in  our  day,  who 
questioned,  and  affected  to  know  better  than  go  with  the 
common  herd.     But  these  were  the  few  and  the  exceptions. 

The  stories  of  Tantalus,  condemned  to  everlasting  hun- 
ger and  thirst,  of  Sisyphus,  compelled  to  roll  a  huge  stone 
up  a  hill,  whose  summit  he  could  never  reach,  of  Ixiox  and 
his  wheel,  and  many  other  myths,  are  nothing  more  nor  less 
than  allegorical  expressions  of  the  common  belief  in  a  pun- 
ishment hereafter. 

So  far  as  the  Jews  are  concerned,  the  case  is  yet  clearer. 
The  Hebre%vs  of  our  day  not  only  believe  in  hell,  but  also  in 
purgatory.  Certainly,  they  have  not  invented  those  doc- 
trines, but  have  received  them  from  their  ancestors.  And, 
in  order  to  put  this  yet  more  clearly  before  the  reader,  we 
may  quote  here  the  words  of  Josephus  Flavius,  a  learned 
Jew  w^ho  flourished  during  the  reign  of  the  Emperor  Ves- 
pasian, about  sixty  years  after  our  Saviour. 

In  his  dissertation  of  Hades,  Josephus  uses  the  following 
words : 


318 

"  In  this  region  there  is  a 
able  tire,  wherein  we  siippo 
prepared  for  a  day  afore -d< 
sentence  shall  deservedly  b( 
those  that  have  been  disobe 
idols  as  have  been  the  vain 
liimself,  shall  be  judged  to 
shall  obtain  an  ineorruptibl 
indeed  oontined  in  Hades,  but  not  in  the  same  place  wherein  the  just  are 
contined." 

The  passage  needs  no  explanation,  for  it  expresses  well 
enough  the  belief  of  not  only  Flavius  himself,  but  also  of 
the  Israelites  of  his  day. 

We  pass  now  from  Josephus'  writings  to  the  New 
Testament,  which,  for  the  present,  we  regard  simply  in  a 
historical  light.  It  will  not  be  necessary  to  quote  particu- 
lar passages,  for  no  one  will  deny  that  frequent  allusions  to 
hell  are  to  be  found  in  it. 

It  may,  however,  interest  the  reader  to  call  attention  to 
the  word  for  hell  most  frequently  used.  It  is  Gehenna,  or 
Gehinnon.  This  is  a  compound,  made  up  of  Ge,  the 
Hebrew  for  valley,  and  Hinnon,  possibly  a  man's  name. 

This  valley  of  Hinnon  is  near  Jerusalem,  and  travelers 
may  pass  into  and  out  of  it,  at  the  present  day,  without 
risking  even  their  clothes.  The  bad  associations  connected 
with  it  had  their  origin  as  follows  : 

There  was  In  this  valley  an  immense  furnace  called  Tophet, 
through  the  fires  of  which,  children  were  passed,  in  honor 
of  the  false  God,  Moloch.  King  Josias  destroyed  the  fur- 
nace but  the  valley  was  used  as  a  receptacle  for  the  inflam- 
mable rubbish  of  the  city.  Thus,  Hinnon' s  Valley,  where 
the  filth  of  Jerusalem  was  burned,  became  synonymous  with 
that  other  scheol,  where  the  rubbish  of  this  earth,  viz:  the 
wicked,  will  be  cremated  with  fire  inextingtiishable. 

Let  now  pass  up  the  stream  of  Jewish  history,  to  a  period 
before  the  Babylonian  captivity.  Th*p  prophet  Isaias,  who 
lived  lone:  before  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem  bv  Nabucho- 
DONOSOR,  in  chap.  Ixvi,  v.  24,  thus  speaks ; 


ALETHAURION.  319 

"  A*nd  they  shall  go  out,  and  shall  see  the  carcases  of  the  men  that  have 
transgressed  against  me ;  tlieir  worm  shall  not  die.  and  their  fire  shall 
not  be  quenched,  and  they  shall  be  a  loathsome  sight  to  all  flesh." 

This  propheoy,  which  has  relation,  first,  to  the  reproba- 
tion of  the  Jews,  and,  secondly,  to  the  final  and  everhisting 
reprobation  of  the  wicked,  was  fulfilled  in  type  at  the  time 
.the  Romans,  under  Titus,  took  Jerusalem  and  sacked  it. 
But  it  yet  remains  to  be  fully  verified  in  the  destruction  of 
the  wicked  on  the  last  day. 

It  is  worth  of  remark  that  our  Lord,  speaking  of  the  rep- 
robate, makes  use  of  a  part  of  this  prophecy — Mark  vii,  v. 
43. 

From  IsAiAS  we  proceed  to  Job,  who  was,  in  all  proba- 
bility, a  contemporary  of  Moses.  Examine  chap,  ii,  from 
T-erse  16  to  the  end,  and  see  if  you  can  make  sense  out  of 
what  is  said  without  admitting  a  heaven  and  a  hell.  Like- 
wise consult  chap,  xxiv,  verses  18-21. 

It  must  be   confessed  that,   in  the  five  books  of   Moses, 

very  little  is  said  about    the  rewards  or   punishments  of  tlie 

next  life.     Yet  in  Deut.  xxxii,  verse  22,  we  find  something 

bearing  on  our  subject : 

**  A  fire  is  kindled  in  my  wrath,  and  it  shall  burn  even  to  the  lowest 
hell,  scheol,  and  shall  devour  the  earth  with  her  increase,  and  shall  burn 
|he foundations  of  the  mountains." 

It  would  be  ridiculous  to  suppose -that  the  word  hell, 
^cheol,  in  the  original,  means  here  only   the  grave.  Though 

must  be  admitted  that,  like  Hades  in  Greek,  it  sometimes 
las  that  signification.  . 

We  have  now  demonstrated  that  the  most  ancient  nations 
)elieved  in  hell.     Of  the  moderns,  it  is  needless  to  speak. 

'hen  of  late,  Beecher,  Farrar,  et  al.,  struck  orthodox 
Protestantism  a  whack  in  the  face  with  their  doubts  and 
lenials,  the  wail  that  was  raised  showed  how  deej^ly  the 
popular  heart  was  wounded. 

Now   when  we   find   a   permanent   and   universal   belief 

long  men,  which  cannot  be  traced  to  any  of   the  sources 


320  ALETHAURION. 

of  error,  the  natural  conclusion  we  come  to  is,  that  Such 
belief  had  its  origin  in  a  primitive  revelation,  and  is  per- 
petuated in  the  world  because  conformable  to  the  natural- 
and  eternal  law  inscribed  upon  the  heart  of  man  from  the 
beginning. 

Neither  passion  nor  worldly  interest,  which  are  the  two 
main  sources  of  error,  could  have  invented  a  hell  ;  for  the 
doctrine  of  future  and  eternal  retribution  -is  opposed  to  them 
both. 

In  our  next  we  will  continue  this  exceedingly  pleasant 
subject. 


CHAPTER  LXXYII. 


CONCERNING   HELL. 

In  the  present  chapter  we  examine  some  other  reasons 
that  go  to  show  the  reality  of  that  painfully  interesting 
place  called  hell.  For  this  purpose  we  take  for  granted- the 
immortality  of  the  soul,  the  existence  of  a  natural  law,  with 
its  sanction,  and  free  will  upon' the  part  of  man  to  observe 
or  violate  it. 

These  truths  are  susceptible  of  demonstration,  but  we 
shall  not  prove  them  now.  In  the  first  place,,  let  us  have  a 
word  or  two  about  what  is  meant  by  the  sanction. 

By  it,  is  to  be  understood  the  motives  that  cause  us  to 
obey  the  \sew  itself.  These  are  of  two  kinds  ;  first,  the 
authority  of  the  legislature,  and  secondly,  the  rewards 
attached  to  the  observance,  and  the  punishments  belonging 
to  the  violation  of  it. 

Without  the  sanction,  a  law  would  be  nothing  more  than 
a  mere  lesson,  council  or  exhortation. 

With  these  things  properly  understood,  let  us  proceed  a 
step,  and  take 'an  example  to  illustrate  the  point  we  are 
aiming  at. 


ALETHAURION.  '  321 

Here  is  a  wealthy  lord,  who  owns  an  immense  tract  of 
country,  which  he  divides  into  farms,  and  leases  out  for 
<hort  periods  to  a  tenantry.  He  moreover,  gives  them  to 
understand  that  whatever  improvements  are  made  will  all 
he  their  own  advantage.  They  go  to  work,  and  by  their 
industry  and  energy,  mate  even  the  barren  and  waste  places 
of  the  estate  to  l)loom  like  a  ijarden. 

Now,  about  the  time  that  the  leases  expire,  this  great  lord 
conceives  the  idea  of  turning  so  many  thousand  acres  of  this 
improved  land  into  a  grazing  farm  for  blooded  stock.  He 
breaks  faith  with  these  poor,  industrious,  hard  working 
people,  sends  out  his  minions,  in  the  depth  of  winter,  and 
levels  their  cottages  with  the  ground  ;  and,  to  add  insult  to 
injury,  after  clearing  them  off  his  place,  tells  them  they  may 
now  go  '*  to  hell  or  to  America." 

By  this  sudden  and  unexpected  change,  they  lose  the 
little  they  have  got  together  by  years  of  toil,  are  exposed  to 
the  inclemency  of  the  seasons,  have  to  emigrate  to  strange 
lands,  or,  may  be,  perish  on  the  way.  Heie  a  fiend  in 
human  shape  violates  the  great  natural  law  of  God,  and  also 
positive  enactments.  But,  where  is  the  sanction?  Where 
is  the  adequate  punishment  meted  out  to  the  offender  in 
this  life? 

The  civil  law  cannot  reach  such  cases,  and  human  judges 
have  nothing  left  but  to  close  their  eyes  to  the  tyrant's  du- 
plicity and  barl)arity. 

Those  who  will  not  admit  a  retributive  justice  in  the  future 
state,  come  forward  and  say,  that  such  a  man  is  punished 
here,  either  by  bodily  suffering,  or  by  the  reproaches  of  his 
conscience. 

But,  how  does  such  a  theory  agree  with  our  observation, 
generally  speaking?  Do  the  oppressors  of  mankind  expe- 
rience here,  in  all  cases,  the  suffering  they  cause  others  to 
endure?  Our  experience  does  not,  by  any  means,  confirm 
such  a  theory. 

The  oppressor,  when  wealthy    and   powerful,  lives   well, 


322  ^  ALETHAURION. 

and  has  not  only  the  pleasures,  but  also  the  honors  of  this 
life.  Some  cases  do  occur  from  time  to  time,  wherein  we 
see  great  misfortunes  following  the  commission  of  great 
crimes.  Kapoleon  died  in  exile,  and  Cesar  was  assassin- 
ated— punished  for  their  evil  deeds  here  on  earth,  so  say  the 
Universalists.  Very  well,  so  it  may  have  been,  and,  it  may 
not  have  been  so. 

There  was  Scroggix's  little  five  year-old  boy.  Jacket, 
who  recently  had  a  period  put  to  his  days,  by  a  kick  from 
his  father's  mule.  Was  he  also  punished  for  his  sins? 
Until  the  breath  left  him,  the  little  fellow  suffered  more 
than  Cesar  ;  consequently  his  crimes  must  have  been  more 
atrocious. 

The  Great  Captain  died  in  exile,  and  so  did  Pope  Greg- 
ory VII,  who  has  been  canonized.  If  exile  is  to  be  regarded 
as  retribution  in  Napoleon's  case,  why  not  also  in  that  of 
Gregory  ? 

We  do  not  deny  that  there  is  a  connection,  and  a  very 
close  one,  between  the  moral  and  the  physical  orders.  All 
those  crimes  that  have  a  tendency  to  cause  the  race  to  dete- 
riorate, or  become  extinct,  are  partially  punished  here  ;  and 
for  this  reason,  because  the  sin  is  not  only  an  infraction  of 
the  moral,  but  also  of  the  physical  laws  governing  health. 
But,  for  the  sins  of  idolatry,  apostacy,  heresy,  and  such 
like,  what  punishments  do  we  see  meted  out  here?  None. 
Such  persons  flourish,  in  many  cases,  like  trees  planted  by 
the  running  water. 

When,  lately,  that  tyrant,  the  Earl  of  Leitrim,  was  taken 
off  by  an  assassin,  even  persons  who  by  no  means  approve 
of  such  work,  drew  a  long  breath,  and  felt  that  the  injustice 
of  years,  to  the  poor  and  helpless,  had  been  at  last  avenged. 
Yet,  the  connection, between  the  tyrant's  crimes  and  his  fate 
is  at  best  only  problematical.  Do  not  innocent  people  fre- 
quently get  killed  at  some  of  our  riots  and  street  brawls? 
Do  not  soldiers  get  shot  on  the  battle  field?  Death,  under 
such  circumstances,  we  do  not  regard  as  vengeauce  from 


ALETHAURION.  323 

above,  for  the  individuars  crime,  and  why  should  we  in  the 
other  case? 

We  do  not  pretend  to  deny  that  the  providence  of  God 
sometimes  does,  for  wise  purposes,  permit  one  bad  man  to 
destroy  another  of  the  same  sort.  But,  it  would  be  contrary 
to  experience  to  say  that  evil  deeds  are  always  adequately 
punished  on  earth.  Neither  should  we  confound  man's 
malice  with  God's  justice. 

And,  if  one  case  could  be  found  in  a  million,  where  a  man 
had  certainly  committed  a  ci-imc,  and  as  certainly  had  suf- 
fered nothing  for  it  here,  that  alone  would  be  sufficient  to 
establish  the  reality  of  a  retribution  hereafter.  Now  multi- 
tudes of  such  cases  can  be  found.  An  apoi)lectic  man,  for 
example,  or  one  who  has  the  heart  disease,  slips  out  some 
night  and  sets  fire  to  his  neighbor's  barn,  and  burns  a  lot  of 
grain  and  farming  implements,  but  just  as  soon  as  the  deed 
is  done,  he  gets  a  stroke  and  dies  instantly,  as  he  would 
have  done,  if  he  had  stayed  at  home  in  bed. 

In  this  case  the  criminal  has  suffered  no  bodily  pain  on 
account  of  his  crime  ;  his  conscience  did  not  torture  him, 
because  the  gratification  of  his  hatred  and  revens^e  counter-* 
acted  for  the  time  being,  and,  all  every  reproach  from 
that  quarter.  Moreover,  it  is  well  known  that  conscience 
sometimes  become  seared,  blunted,  and  will,  while  in  such 
a  state,  cause  but  little  annoyance  to  its  possessor. 

Where,  then,  is  the  punishment  in  this  life  for  the  crime 
of  arson  that  has  been  committed?  Where  is  the  sanction 
of  the  law  that  has  been  violated?  There  is  none  here; 
there  must  be  hereafter. 

We  may  now  pass  on  to  consider  the  greatest  proof  of 
all  for  the  reality  of  a  hell.  It  is  found  in  the  authority  of 
the  Catholic  Church.  We  know  that  the  Church  continues 
to  do  what  Christ  himself  did,  while  here  on  earth — i.  e., 
teach  mankind  the  way  of  salvation.  We  know  that  she 
cannot  err  in  matters  appertaining  to  faith  and  morals. 

When,  therefore,  the  Catholic  Church  solemnly  declares 


324  ALETHAURION. 

that  hell  is  a  reality,  notwithstanding  it  be  so  terrible  a  one, 
the  question  is  forever  set  at  rest.  It  is  a  truth,  and  no 
amount  of  rhetoric  can  make  it  otherwise.  Men  cannot 
vote  it  out  of  existence  nor  diminish  its  torments, -by  affect- 
ing to  despise  or  deny  them. 

But  has  the  Church  formally  declared  there  is  such  a 
place  or  state?  She  has,  and  most  emphatically.  The 
fathers  of  the  Fifth  General  Council,  held  at  Constanti- 
nople. A.  D.,  553,  during  the  pontificate  of  Pope  Vigilius, 
condemned  the  following  proposition,  taken  from  a  work  of 
the  celerated  Origen  (de  Principiis)  : 

"  The  torments  of  the  damned  will  end  some  day,  and  Jesus  Christ, 
who  was  crucified  to  redeem  mankind,  will  die  again  to  redeem  and  save 
the  devils." 

The  contradictory  of  this  is,  therefore,  part  and  parcel 
of  the  Catholic  faith,  *'wiiich,  unless  one  faithfully  and 
firmly  believes  he  cannot  be  saved."  Creed  of  Athana- 
sius. 

This  doctrine  is  also  clearly  taught  in  the  New  Testa- 
ment. 

"When  the  Son  of  Man  shall  come  in  His  majesty,  and  all  the  angels 
Arith  Him,  then  shall  He  sit  upon  the  seat  of  His  majesty.  And  all  na- 
tions shall  be  gathered  before  Him ;  and  he  shall  separate  them  one  from 
another,  as  the  shepherd  separateth  the  sheep  from  the  goats.  And  He 
shall  set  the  sheep  on  His  right  hand,  but  the  goats  on  the  left.  ♦ 
Then  shall  He  say  to  them  also  that  shall  be  on  His  left  hand :  Depart 
from  me  ye  cursed,  into  everlasting  fire,  which  was  prepared  for  the 
Devil  and  his  angels.     *      *      And  these  shall  go  into  everlasting  fire.'* 

—Matt.  XXV,  31-46. 

Finally,  if  there  be  no  hell,  to  what  purpose  was  the 
passion  and  death  of  the  Son  of  God? 

Hell  is  therefore  a  reality,  and  cannot  be  either  lectured 
or  voted  out  of  existence.  Heaven  and  earth  may  pass 
away,  but  the  word  of  Christ  will  not.  This  eternity  of 
torment  is  a  terrible  thing,  but  men  may  avoid  it  if  they 
have  a  mind  to  do  so. 

Our  next  will  be  about  its  location. 


ALETHAURION.  325 


CHAPTER  LXXVIII. 


HELL — ITS   LOCATION. 

Having  seen  in  past  chapters,  that  hell  is  a  reality,  we  now 
proceed  to  examine  into  its  location.  One  of  the  surest 
methods  a  man  can  take  to  arrive  at  certain  and  practical 
knowledge  on  this  subject,  is  so  to  live,  that  his  earthly 
career  will  be,  as  far  as  possible,  in  direct  contradiction  to 
the  precepts  of  the  Gospel.  He  may  then  rest  assured  that 
in  the  future  life  he  will  have  more  information  on  this  point 
than  he  will  be  likely  to  relish. 

Various  theories  have  been  set  afloat  in  regard  to  where 
hell  is,  and  some  have  gone  so  far  as  to  give  its  exact  dimen- 
sions. 

The  opinion  held  by  the  vulgar,  and  it  may  be  the  true 
one,  is  that  in  the  center  of  our  earth,  the  reprobate  receive 
a  just  recompense  for  the  iniquities  done  in  the  flesh. 

This  idea  had  its  origin,  most  likely,  in  the  fact  that  we 
associate  with  subterranean  places,  things  that  are  gloomy 
and  depressing  to  the  soul  of  man.  Dungeons  of  the  most 
approved  pattern  are  those  built  underground,  and  going 
down  has,  amongst  all  men,  the  meaning  of  going  to  ruin. 

The  volcanoes  found  on  the  face  of  the  earth,  would  also 
seem  to  indicate  a  molten  mass  within. 

This  theory  is,  moreover,  conformable  to  the  letter  of  the 
inspired  writings.  Hell  is  frequently  called  the  *<  bottom- 
less pit,"  in  the  Bible  ;  and,  if  we  admit  a  lake  of  fire  oc- 
cupying the  entire  center  of  our  planet,  it  is  plain  that  such 
a  lake  would  be  without  bottom. 

The  writer  can  see  no  reason  for  not  admittini?  that  the 
souls  of  the  damned  may  be  in  reality  confined  within  the 
bowels  of  the  earth.  And  this  opinion  is  very  much 
strengthened  by  what  we  read  in  the  book  of  Numbers,  Ivi, 


326  ALETHAURION. 

33.  It  is  there  stated,  that  the  earth  opened  and  swallowed 
down  Core,  Dathax  and  Abikon,  alive  into  hell,  for  having 
resisted  and  rebelled  against  Moses. 

True  it  is,  that  the  bodies  of  the  reprobate  do  not  descend 
into  hell,  neither  will  the3^-until  after  the  day  of  general 
judgment.  Yet,  as  the  soul  of  man  is  confined  to  his  body 
here  on  the  surface  of  the  earth,  and  does  not  go  beyond  its 
tenement,  during  the  period  of  his  mortal  life,  so,  after 
separation  from  the  body,  God  can  give  to  the  soul  within 
the  bowels  of  the  earth,  a  local  habitation,  outside  of  which 
it  cannot  move ;  and  also  relations  with  its  immediate 
surroundings,  analogous  to  those  it  has  with  the  body  in 
this  life. 

Other  theories  have  also  been  advanced,  but  they  are 
mere  speculations ;  such  as  that  hell  is  in  the  sun,  or  in  one 
or  more  of  those  comets  that  from  time  to  time  appear 
within  range  of  our  earth. 

Considering  the  heat  we  get  from  our  luminary,  in  the 
dog-days,  and  bearing  in  mind  that  it  is  ninety-five  millions 
of  miles  away,  and  that  heat  diminishes  or  increases,  in  the 
ratio  of  the  square  of  the  distance,  we  may  readily  concede 
that  the  warmth  there  ought  to  be  sufficient  for  all  ordinary 
reprobates. 

We  do  not  condemn  any  of  those  speculations,  not  hav- 
ing a  warrant  to  do  so.  But,  while  conceding  to  others  the 
greatest  latitude,  in  questions  on  the  merits  of  which  the 
Church  has  not  given  a  formal  decision,  we  may  also,  at  the 
same  time,  have  and  maintain  special  opinions. 

To  the  writer  it  would  appear,  as  the  most  probable 
opinion,  that  hell  is  not  a  place,  but  rather  a  state  of  exist- 
ence, in  the  next  life.  What  we  mean  by  the  phrase  state 
of  existence,  as  distinct  from  place  or  special  location,  is 
not  easily  put  into  words,  so  as  to  become  intelligible.  The 
point  may  be  best  illustrated  by  an  example. 

Take  the  case  of  two   brothers,  both  living   in  the    same 


ALETJiArinoN.  327 

town  or  city.  The  one  enjoys  excellent  health,  is  of  a  cheer- 
ful turn  of  mind,  inclined  to  look  on  the  bright  side  of 
things,  has  his  affairs  in  a  flourishing  condition,  is  respected 
and  beloved  by  his  neighbors,  lives  at  peace  with  himself 
and  the  world  generally,  and  is,  moreover,  his  mother's  pet 
boy,  and  the  special  pride  of  the  old  man. 

The  other  is  sickly,  quarrelsome,  despondent,  borrowing 
trouble  wherever  he  can,  and  purchasing  the  same,  at  high 
prices,  where  it  cannot  be  had  gratis,  is  continually  at  war 
with  his  neighbors,  who  wish  him  all  sorts  of  evil,  a  particu- 
lar thorn  to  the  authors  of  his  existence,  and  a  scurvy  cur 
in  the  sight  of  all. 

Now  these  two,  though  living  in  the  same  place,  may  be 
said  to  have  different  states  of  existence.  And  so  it  may  be 
with  the  just  and  the  reprobate,  but  in  a  manner  presenting 
a  far  more  perfect  contrast. 

We  do  not  necessarily  exclude  the  idea  of  location,  yet  it 
is  not  the  place  that  makes  the  hell,  nor  will  one  have  to 
soar  beyond  the  moon  in  order  to  get  to  heaven. 

It  would  appear,  from  what  we  read  in  Scripture,  that 
the  devil  has  the  power  of  moving  from  one  place  to  another 
and  it  is  certain  that  he  and  some  of  his  imps  have  appeared 
more  than  once,  on  the  surface  of  our  globe.  Are  we  to 
presume  that  they  left  hell  in  order  to  do  so? 

Whether  lost  souls  have  also  the  power  of  locomotion, 
such  as  the  demons  are  known  to  possess,  is  one  of  those 
questions  that  we  now  set  aside  for  further  consideration. 

It  is  certain  however,  that  there  is  only  one  hell  for  both, 
with  torments  varying  in  intensity,  according  to  the  malice 
of  the  crimes  committed.  This  fact  of  itself  goes  far  in 
showing  that  hell  is  not  a  place,  but  a  state  of  existence. 
Wv  have  seen  that  the  theory  which  places  it  within  the 
bowels  of  the  earth  is  the  one  most  conformable  to  the  let- 
ter of  our  sacred  writings,  as  it  certainly  is  most  consonant 
to  the  belief  of  the  vulgar. 


328  ALETHAURION. 

Now, 'admitting  that  the  interior  of  our  globe  is  the  iden- 
tical spot,  would  it  not  seem  strange  that  the  Almighty,  out 
of  the  multiplied  millions  of  worlds  which  he  has  created, 
should  have  chosen  this  orb  of  ours  to  be  the  habitation  of 
two  different  races  of  beings,  one  in  a  state  of  probation, 
and  the  other  of  reprobation?  Would  it  not  seem  also 
strange  that  the  entire  pack  of  demons  should  have  been 
sent' here  to  this  miserable  footstool? 

If  we  adopt  the  views  of  those  doctors  of  the  Church  who 
maintain  that  the  angels  were  created  long  before  the  mate- 
rial universe,  we  have,  indeed,  strong  reasons  for  believing 
that  hell  is  a  state  of  existence  and  not  a  place.  For,  as  we 
said  in  a  previous  chapter,  the  moment  of  creation  was  that 
of  the  rebellion  of  the  wricked  angels  ;  and,  no  sooner  had 
the  sin  been  committed  than  hell  was  called  into  existence. 
Consequently  hell  cannot  l)e  a  special  place,  in  some  part  of 
the  universe,  since  it  existed  before  matter  was  creat'jd. 

But,  it  is  notcertain  the  angels  were  created  before  matter; 
on  the  contrary,  it  is  most  probable  that  both  matter  and 
spirit  were  created  at  one  and  the  same  time,  in  accordance 
with  the  words  of  Genesis  :  *'In  the  beginning  God  created 
the  heavens  and  •  the  earth."  Hence,  that  part  of  our  argu- 
ment which  rests  for  support  on  a  supposed  priority,  may  be 
regarded  as  a  trifle  lame  in  the  other  foot,  as  Cicero  used 
to  say. 

Finally,  and  in  conclusion,  we  may  add,  that,  though  it 
is  a  certain  fact  there  is  a  hell,  yet,  no  one  living  knows 
where  it  is.  So  far,  nothing  has  been  revealed  on  the  sub- 
ject ;  and  there  is  no  likelihood  that  future  ages  will  be  any 
wiser  than  we, 

St.  Augustine,  St.  Thomas  and  St.  Gregory  Naziaxzen, 
while  admitting  that  nothing  is  known  for  certain,  still  cling 
to  the  belief  of  a  hell  within  our  earth.  And  that  old 
Pagan  philosopher,  Pythagoras,  in  giving  his  ''ipse  dixit" 
on  the  subject,  said  that  Jove's  prison  was  a  fiery  globe, 
deep  down  in  the  ground. 


ALKTIIAUniON.  329 

If  the  old  sophist  could  now  return,  he  would,  after  au 
-experience  of  two  thousand  four  hundred  years,  be  able  to 
tell  us  all  about  that  globe,  its  latitude  and  longitude,  as 
well  as  average  temperature. 

In  our  next  we  will  speak  of  the  pains  of  the  damned. 


CHAPTER   LXXIX. 


THE    PUNISHMENT    OF    THE    DA3INED. 

Speaking  of  the  joys  of  heaven,  St.  Paul  says — 1  Cor. 

ii,  9: 

''  The  eye  hath  not  seen  nor  ear  heard,  neither  hath  it  entered  into 
the  heart  of  man,  what  things  GoD  hath  prepared  for  them  that 
love  llim." 

He  had  been  taken  up  to  the  third  heaven,  and,  in  all 
probability,  would  have  attempted  a  description  of  what  he 
had  seen  there,  if  it  were  possible  to  convey  such  knowledge 
to  living  men. 

We  may,  in  speaking  of  the  torments  of  the  reprobate, 
also  use  St.  Paul's  words,  and  repeat :  It  hath  never 
entered  into  the  heart  of  man  to  conceive  what  God  has  pre- 
pared for  those  who  violate  His  law,  and  depart  this  life  at 
enmity  with  Him. 

To  say  that  human  language  cannot  express  the  anguish 
of  perdition,  would  be  putting  it  very  mildly.  We  cannot, 
in  our  present  state  of  existence,  even  imagine  what  it  really 
is  ;  for  hell  is  exactly  the  reverse  of  heaven,  and  the  joys  of 
the  latter,  we  know  by  revelation,  cannot  be  expressed  in 
words. 

We  might  talk  all  day  to  a  man,  blind  from  his  birth, 
about  the  beauties  of  a  landscape,  and  descant  upon  the 
pleasing  effects  produced  in  us  by  light  and  shade,  diversity 
of  colors,  and  so  forth  ;  but,  it  would  be  simply  impossible 


330  ALETHAURION. 

for  him  to  gain,  from  any  descriptions  that  might  be  given 
of  nature,  such  ideas  as  we  get  by  the  use  of  our  eyes. 

Th©  preacher  who  undertakes  to  tell  people  all  about  the 
exact  nature  of  the  punishments  meted  out  to  the  reprobate, 
has  also  a  very  large  contract  on  hand. 

He  may  bo  likened  to  a  blind  man  teaching  the  blind  how 
to  paint  portraits,  or  to  a  Yankee  notion  peddler  undertaking 
to  give  lessons  in  Sanskrit. 

Does  the  writer,  then,  find  fault  with  sermons  on  hell, 
and  with  the  vivid  pictures  that  are  sometimes  presented  by 
skilled  pulpit  orators? 

Just  the  other  way  ;  he  says,  let  the  good  work  go  on. 
By  far  too  little  is  said  about  it  in  our  day ;  and  more 
especially  is  this  the  case  outside  of  Catholic  pulpits  ;  inso- 
much that  Protestantism  appears  to  be  coming  to  the  belief 
that  the  fire  has  ijone  out  loni^:  aixo,  and  nothinc:  remains  but 
a  few  lifeless    embers.     But  it  burns  yet. 

No  fire  company  is  strong  enough  to  master  it ;  and  all 
the  waters  of  the  mighty  deep,  would  there  be  only  as  the 
dew  drop  on  a  red  hot  griddle. 

Once  every  six  months  would  not  be  too  often  to  bring 
this  matter  up  formally  in  the  pulpit ;  and,  lest  people- 
should  forget,  brief  allusions  to  the  sort  of  entertainment 
given  there  to  sinners  might  be  made,  with  profit,  between 
times.  Besides,  there  is  no  danger  of  exaggeration  ;  for, 
after  one  has  said  of  the  pains  of  hell  all  that  the  most  bril- 
liant imagination  can  conceive,  the  truth  would  still  not  be 
told. 

Hell  is  worse  than  any  description  that  can  be  given  of  it. 
But,  one  thing  should  be  guarded  against.  The  preacher 
must  not  send  people  there  for  trivial  reasons. 

Spiritual  writers  generally  place  the  pains  of  the  repro- 
bate under  three  headings,  viz :  The  pain  of  sense,  the 
pain  of  loss,  and  the  Avorm  of  conscience. 

Those  who  are  of  opinion  that  hell  has  a  particular 
location,  as  for  example  within  the  bowels  of  the  earth,  hold 


ALETHAURION.  33  L 

that  the  tire   is  a  material    one,    in    no  way  different    froni 
ours,  except  in  intensity. 

The  tires  of  earth  are  for  our  use  and  benefit,  but  hell  fire 
was  created  expressly  for  punishment.  And  when  God 
calls  a  thing  into  being  for  a  certain  purpose,  we  may  rest 
assured  it  fulfills  the  purpose  well. 

Now,  as  by  death,  the  soul  becomes  entirely  separated 
from  the  body,  and  will  remain  so  until  reunited  at  the 
resurrection,  some  persons  ask  how  it  can  be*  that  a 
material  fire,  such  as  ours,  could  affect  an  object  entirely^ 
spiritual,  such  as  the  human  soul.  We  can  no  more  explain 
this  than  we  can  so  many  other  facts  that  happen  every  day 
under  our  eyes,  whose  truth  we  are  still  not  at  liberty  to 
doubt. 

It  is  quite  evident  that  the  soul  may  be  made  to  suffer  in 
this  life,  through  the  body,  to  which  it  is  united,  in  a  mys- 
terious manner.  When  a  man  drops  into  a  kettle  of  boiling 
syrup,  his  soul  is  in  anguish,  though  the  syrup,  which 
produces  the  pain,  and  the  body,  by  which  it  is  communi- 
cated, are  both  material. 

We  might  ask  in  the  same  way,  how  it  is  that  matter  acts 
upon  spirit. in  this  life,  and  spirit  upon  matter?  We  know 
by  experience  that  such  is  the  case  ;  but  by  what  process  the 
nerves  of  the  body  conmiunicate  the  pain  to  the  soul,  still 
remains,  what  it  always  has  been,  one  of  those  things  that 
doctors  can't  find  out. 

Now  God,  after  having  severed  the  connection  in  this 
life,  can  give  to  the  soul  new  relations  with  fire,  or  any 
other  material  similar  to  those  which  we  know  it  has 
here  with  the  body.  Hence  the  writer  does  not  see  that 
any  inconvenience  would  arise  from  saying  the  fire  of  hell 
is  a  material  one  ;  more  intense  indeed,  than  ours,  be- 
cause made  especially  for  the  punishment  of  the  wicked. 
Such  is  also  thci  opinion  of  St.  Thomas,  and  one  certainly 
most  conformable  to  the  word  of  sacred  Scripture. 

But  punishment  by  fii'e  is  not  the  only  one  the  reprobate 


332  ALETHAURION.  * 

endures.  They  shall  be  made  to  pass  from  the  greatest 
extremes  of  heat  to  extreme  cold,  and  vice  versa,  without 
experiencing  any  alleviation,  but  rather  greater  misery  by 
the  change.     Job  xxiv,  19. 

"He  shall  rain  snares  upon  sinners,"  says  the  psalmist,  "ftre  and 
brimstone,  and  storms  of  wind  must  be  the  portion  of  their  cup." — Ps. 
X,  7. 

Hence  we  may  excuse  that  Methodist  preacher  *'out 
west"  who  told  his  people,  on  a  chilly,  cheerless  Sunday  eve- 
ning, in  the  depth  of  winter,  that  hell  was  a  phice  of 
perpetual  ice  and  snow,  with  storm  following  storm,  and 
cold  intense  enough  to  freeze  the  eyes  out  of  a  polar  bear. 
When  called  to  task  by  some  of  his  deacons,  for  the  new 
departure,  the  preacher  replied  : 

*'What!  man,  w^ould  you  have  me  tell  the  people,  on 
such  a  night  as  this,  that  hell  is  a  warm  place?  My  object 
was  to  keep  them  from  going  there,  and  I  did  not  suppose  I 
would  be  likely  to  succeed  by  giving  a  homily  on  fireworks, 
such  weather  as  this." 

For  the  satisfaction  of  those  bitter  natures,  who  think  a 
material  fire  would  not  sufficiently  punish  the  reprobate,  we 
may  here  state  that  they  may,  without  incurring  any  note  of 
heresy,  take  the  word  fire,  not  in  its  literal,  but  metaphori- 
cal sense,  as  meaning  intense  pain  of  any  kind.  The  Church 
has  not  defined  that  the  fire  of  hell  is  corporeal.  And  if 
there  be  anything  else  that  a  man  is  more  in  terror  of  than 
fire,  he  may  figure  to  himself  a  hell  plentifully  provided 
with  such  an  article ;  and  he,  in  all  probability,  will  encoun- 
ter whatever  is  to  him  most  terrific,  in  case  it  is  his  misfor- 
tune to  be  condemned  to  the  City  of  Sorrow. 

Along  with  the  pain  of  sense,  of  which  we  hare  spoken, 
the  reprobate  also  experiences  in  hell  the  pain  of  loss,  and 
the  gnawing  of  that  worm  which  never  dies. 

All  who  have  ever  experienced  grave  disappointments, 
either  in  ambition,  love  or  some  other  consuming  passion, 


ALETHAUKION.  333 

know  in  what  consists  the  i)ain  of  losj?.  It  is  great  in  pro- 
portion to  the  strength  of  the  passion  aroused,  and  the  ex- 
cellence, real  or  fancied,  of  the  object  sought.  But  no  mere 
earthly  disappointment  can  compare  with  that  feeling  of 
hopeless  ruin  felt  by  the  damned. 

Man's  soul  was  created  to  know  God,  to  love  Him  here, 
and  to  enjoy  His  presence  and  love  hereafter.  In  his  pres- 
ent state,  however,  this  love  for  the  beautiful.,  the  true  and 
the  rjood,  may,  and  very  frequently  does,  stop  short  of  the 
summum  bonum,  and  takes  to  an  inferior  and  even  to  a  for- 
bidden object.  And,  separated  from  the  body  and  from  the 
dross  of  earth,  with  increased  knowledge,  the  soul  seeing 
clearly  there  is  no  other  object  worthy  of  its  love  but  God, 
flies  to  Him  ;  but  being  repelled  on  account  of  sin,  the  feel- 
ing of  loss  is  such  that  it  would  be  impossible  to  now  con- 
ceive its  poignancy. 

The  reprobate  see  and  understand  how  easily  they  could 
have  saved  their  souls.  The  vanity  of  all  things  earthly  lies 
open  to  their  eyes,  the  glory  of  heaven  they  know  now  is 
worth  all  else,  and  then  comes  the  dreadful  thought,  we 
could  have. gained  it,  and  at  a  cheap  price,  but  we  have  lost 
it,  and  lost  it  forever. 

Remorse  of  conscience,  the  worm  that  never  dies,  is  an- 
other of  the  pains  of  hell.  This  becomes,  even  here,  so  un- 
bearable to  the  wicked,  sometimes,  that  they  lay  violent 
hands  on  themselves.  But  in  hell  it  attains  its  full  growth 
and  perfection. 

Repentance,  by  which  the  sinner  may  liberate  himself 
here  from  its  gnawing,  will  there  be  no  longer  possible  ;  for 
the  worm  dieth  not  and  the  fire  is  not  extinguished. 

The  poetical  hell  of  Dante  will  be  the  subject  of  our  next. 

GETHSEMANl  ABBEY, 
6ETHSEMANI.  P.O.  KY. 


334  ALETHAURION. 


CHAPTER  LXXX. 


DAXTE  S    POETICAL   HELL. 

Daxte  Alighieri,  the  father  of  Italian  poetry,  was  born  in 
Florence,  A.  D.,  1265,  anddied  at  Ravenna,  in  the  year  1321. 
He  was  the  author  of  the  Divina  Commedia,  a  poem  of  such 
excellence  as  to  have  merited  the  praises  of  all  men  in  every 
age,  and  one  of  the  few  that  is  destined  to  go  down  in 
admiration  to  the  remotest  generation. 

The  Divine  Comedy  is  composed  of  three  principal  parts  : 
The  Inferno,  Purgatorio,  Paradiso.  We  shall  here  speak 
of  the  Hrst  only. 

Before  descending  into  Daxte's  poetical  hell,  it  may 
interest  the  reader  that  we  give  a  short  description  of  the 
poet's  personal  appearance  and  habits. 

Daxte  was  of  medium  size,  with  a  long  face  and  aquiline 
nose.  His  jaws  were  heavy,  and  the  under  lip  such  that  it 
sometimes  went  beyond  the  upper.  This  is  one  of  the  signs 
of  eloquence,  but  it  does  not  follow  that  all  those  whose 
under  lips  protrude  are  eloquent  men.  Habits  of  thought 
made  him  round-shouldered,  because,  while  in  deep  medi- 
tation, the  head  is  thrown  forward,  and  hangs.  Most  great 
men  become  similarly  affected,  on  account  of  the  same  cogi- 
tatory  proclivities. 

His  eyes  were  medium  sized,  and  brown  in  color,  his 
beard  iind  hair  thick,  curly  and  black.  The  face,  which 
bore  the  stamp  of  genius,  was  thoughtful  and  grave,  ap- 
proaching to  the  melancholic. 

One  day,  as  he  in  company  with  a  friend,  was  passing  by 
one  of  the  gates  in  the  city  of  Verona,  they  overheard  the 
following  conversation  between  some  old  women,  who  sat 
there  gossiping,  knitting  and  enjoying  the  sun  : 

<*Do  you   see    that   low-sized,   curly-headed  man   over 


ALETIIAUHION.  335 

there?"  said  one  old  hag  to  her  neiglibor ;  *'  he  Ij?  the  one 
that  goes  down  to  hell,  and  comes  back  whenever  he  pleases. 
And  he  has  written  a  book  about  all  he  has  seen  and  heard 
there."  To  which  one  of  the  others  made  reply:  *' Indeed 
it  must  be  so — don't  you  see  how  curly  his  hair  and  buard  is 
and  how  tanned  his  face  and  hands  from  the  smoke?" 

At  hearing  this,  Dante's  under  lip  began  to  stretch,  and 
a  frigid  smile  passed  over  his  countenance. 

He  was  solitary  in  his  disposition,  gave  much  of  his  time 
to  study,  and  had  but  few  intimate  friends.  His  dress  was 
such  as  became  a  grave  and  consequential  personage,  and  he 
was  exceedingly  temperate  at  table.  Although  eloquent  he 
never  soucrht  the  occasion  to  air  his  vocabulurv,  and  did  not 
orate  until  strongly  requested.  Let  us  now  pass  from  his 
person  to  his  works. 

The  Inferno  is  generally  regarded  as  the  most  interesting 
part  of  the  Divine  Comedy.  He  opens  by  saying  that,  hav- 
ing lost  his  way  at  one  time  in  a  dark  and  lonely  forest, 
some  wild  beasts  he  there  saw,  and  of  which  he  was  afraid, 
kept  him  from  going  on  high  ground  to  see  his  way  out  of 
the  labyrinth.  While  in  this  state  of  uncertainty,  as  well  as 
terror  of  the  beasts,  he  saw  before  him  the  figure  of  a  man, 
to  whom  he  called  for  aid  out  of  his  difficulty. 

This  person  was  Virgil,  the  Latin  poet,  who  told  him  not 
to  be  alarmed,  but  to  follow,  and  that  he  would  show  him 
through  the  infernal  regions,  then  through* purgatory,  and 
finally,  assured  him  that  he  would  also  be  shown  through 
heaven,  by  Beatrice,  a  friend  of  Dante,  who  had  died 
sometime  previous.  The  poet  hesitated  to  undertake  so 
long  and  dangerous  a  journey,  but  on  being  encouraged  by 
his  spirit  friend,  he  finally  consented.  Following  his  guide 
they  came  to  the  gates  of  hell.  And  on  these  he  found 
written  the  following  terril)le  words  : 

**  This  is  the  passway  to  the  City  of  Sorrow.  '  This  is  the 
gate  to  eternal  woe.  Through  me  you  enter  the  abode  of 
the   damned.      Justice   moved   my   creator.      The    Divine 


336  ALETHAURION. 

Power,  the  Wisdom,  by  excellence,  and  the  first  Love  made 
me.  Before  me  nothing  was  created,  and  I  continue  for- 
ever.    You  who  enter  leave  all  hope  behind." 

No  soc>ner  hud.DAXTE  passed  the  gate,  through  which 
Virgil  led  him  by  the  hand,  than  he  heard  the  confused 
sounds  of  many  voices.  He  was  now  in  the  vestibule  of 
hell,  where  those  who  in  life  had  been  poltroons  were  pun- 
ished. And  their  condition  was  so  wretched  that  they  en- 
vied the  lot  of  every  one  else. 

These  poltroons,  who  were  never  alive,  says  the  poet,  and 
who,  while  on  earth,  were  displeasing  to  God  and  to  his 
enemies,  appeared  naked,  and  were  continuously  stung  by 
horseflies  and  wasps  that  were  there. 

Blood,  and  tears,  and  loathsome  maggots  streamed  down 
their  faces  to  the  ground,  and  their  weeping  and  cries  made 
the  darkness  horrible.  After  this,  the  poet  saw  a  vast  con- 
course of  people  hurrying  on  pell-mell  towards  the  banks  of 
a  gloomy  river,  at  some  distance  off,  and  he  asked  his  guide 
what  all  this  meant.  Virgil  told  him  those  were  souls  that 
had  recently  left  their  bodies,  and,  having  been  condemned, 
were  on  their  way  to  Charon's  boat  to  be  ferried  over  the 
river  Acheron.  While  Ciiarox  was  slashing  away  with  his 
oar  at  those  who  were  slow  about  getting  into  his  boat, 
Dante  and  his  guide  approached  the  bank.  But  no  sooner 
had  the  old  ferryman  set  his  eye  on  the  poet  than  he  recog- 
nized him  at  onfe  as  a  person  who  had  no  right  to  be  in  his 
dominions,  nor  in  such  company. 

*'  You  must  go  back,"  said  he,  *'  and  try  it  over  again — 
this  is  no  way  for  you  to  come  and  attempt  to  smuggle 
yourself  across.  My  boat  is  not  of  the  requisite  tonnage  for 
such  as  you." 

While  the  old  Commodore  was  thus  trying  to  work  himself 
up  into  a  passion,  Virgil  gave  him  a  nod,  and  told  him  not 
to  take  on  so,  that  the  affair  was  all  right,  and  if  not,  that  it 
would  be  made  so.  This  calmed  the  old  man's  wrath,  and 
the  wrinkles  between  his  eyebrows  began  to   relax.     Still 


ALKlllAl  HION.  337 

he  did  not  say  whether  ho  would  or  not,  but  Virgil,  know- 
ing his  customer,  l(U)ked  at  the  poet  and  bade  hini  cheer  up. 

In  the  meantime,  Daxtk,  overcome  by  weariness  of  l)ody, 
and  depressed  in  mind,  on  account  of  all  he  had  seen, 
dropped  down,  exhausted,  on  the  shores  of  Acheron  and 
slept  until  awakened  by  a  ruml)ling  sound  like  thunder.  He 
then  discovered  that,  while  asleep,  he  had  been  taken  across 
the  i'iver  into  Liml)o,  which  is  the  first  and  outermost  of  the 
nine  circles  of  hell. 

Here  were  to  be  found  the  souls  of  infants  who  had  died 
without  baptism,  and  of  those  who,  before  the  coming  of 
Chkist,  did  not  worship  God  in  a  proper  manner.  *'0f 
whom  I  am  one  myself,"  says  Virgil  to  our  poet. 

*'  But  tell  me,"  **  I  beseech  you,"  said  Dante,  **  has  any 
one  ever  escaped  out  of  here  within  your  time?  "  **  Yes," 
said  Virgil,  *' not  long  after  my  own  arrival,  there  came 
one  day  an  all  powerful  Being,  wearing  on  His  bi*ow  the 
crown  of  victory,  who  took  away  with  Him  the  spiiitof  our 
first  parent  Adam,  and  those  of  Abel,  Noah,  Moses,  Abra- 
ham, Jacob  and  many  others.  These  he  took  with  Him  to 
paradise."  Dante  then  goes  on  to  state,  that,  having  passed 
through  a  forest  of  these  spirits,  they  entered  a  place  of 
light,  where  they  were  met  by  Homer,  Horace,  Ovid  and 
LucAN,  all  poets,  who  went  with  them  to  a  castle,  sur- 
rounded by  seven  walls,  beyond  which  were  the  EI3  sian 
fields.  Here  all  the  great  poets,  orators,  philosophers  and 
warriors,  of  Paganism,  cr)mmuned  with  one  another.  There 
were  Hector  and  ^Eneas,  the  great  Jllius  Cesar,  and 
Brutus,  who  expelled  the  Tarfjuins  from  Rome.  Socrates, 
Plato  and  Aristotle  were  also  of  the  numlier,  enjoying 
the  refreshing  zephyrs  of  the  Elysian  fields ;  and  many 
others  too  numerous  to  mention. 

Dante,  like  a  sensible  man  and  a  good  poet,  while  not 
conceding  to  those  heroes  and  sages,  a  place  in  heaven,  yet 
avoids  representing  them  as  punished  with  the  reprobate. 
Because  those  men  had,  in  life,  many  noble  qualities,  which 


338  AI.ETHAURION. 

we  must  admire  ;  and,  rigorously  speaking,  we  do  not  know 
whether  they  are  in  hell  or  not.  Hence,  in  poetry,  they 
may  get  the  benefit  of  the  doubt. 

In  our  next  we  will  tell  of  the  things  Dante  saw  in  the 
second  and  third  circles. 


CHAPTER  LXXXI. 


DANTE  S     POETICAL     HELL THE    ENTERTAINMENT    GIVEN   TO 

THE   DIFFERENT  BRANDS  OF    SINNERS. 

• 

After  having  explored  the  Elysian  fields,  where  all  the 
better  sort  of  Pagans  who  lived  before  Christ,  were  allowed 
to  run  together  and  pass  their  da^^s  in  happiness,  chatting 
about  old  times,  Dante  was  next  taken  to  the  second  circle. 

Here  the  music  bes^an  in  earnest.  «Just  at  the  j^ate  stood 
Minos,  one  of  the  infernal  judges,  who  frowned  and 
snapped  at  all  who  came  there  to  be  judged,  and  have 
their  places  assigned  below. 

Turning  aside,  for  a  moment,  from  the  vast  throng  of 
wretches  that  stood  awaiting  sentence,  each  in  his  turn, 
Minos  cast  a  cold  and  contemptuous  glance  at  the  poet ;  and 
simply  bade  him  to  mind  himself-,  that  he  was  now  on  dan- 
gerous ground,  and  that  he  would  have  done  better  to  have 
stayed  away. 

"And  could  you  not  have  said  so,  without  growling  at  him 
in  such  a  churlish  way,  said  Virgil,"  as  they  passed  inside 
the  gate. 

In  this  circle  the  luxurious  got  what  they  deserved.  Their 
punishment  consisted  in  being  exposed  to  bleak  and  cruel 
winds,  by  which  they  were  eternally  swept  around,  and 
dashed  against  the  place  and  one  another,  like  fence  rails  in 
a  cyclone. 

Amongst  these  he  recognizes  Queen  Semiramis,  Dido, 


ALETIIALUION.  339 

Cleopatra,  and  the  beautiful  Helen,  on  accouut  of  whom 
Troy  was  taken  and  sacked. 

The  shade  of  the  great  Achilles,  with  that  of  Paris,  and 
more  than  a  thousand  others,  were  borne  on  the  wind  before 
him. 

It  is  worthy  of  remark  that  Dante,  whilst  according  to 
Hector  a  place  in  the  Elysian  fields,  among  the  favored  of 
the  Pagan  world,  thinks  fit  to  put  his  conqueror  in  company 
with  the  reprobrate,  and  a  sharer  of  their  woes. 

This  will  not  surpj-ise  any  one  who  has  read  the  Iliad. 
Hector  is  always  the  magnanimous  and  patriotic  hero  ; 
brave  as  a  lion,  encountering  danger,  not  thi^)ugh  personal 
motives,  but  for  his  country's  sake,  and  for  a  cause  that  is 
to  him  just  and  righteous. 

Achilles,  fearless  and  terrible  in  the  fiirht,  earrvinsr 
everything  before  him,  by  valor  and  prowess,  not  seeking  to 
gain  his  point  by  trickery,  is  yet  vindictive,  bloodthirsty 
and  lustful.  A  savage  in  his  instincts,  he  would  give  no 
quarter  in  war ;  still  by  nature  a  hero,  he  could  never  de- 
scend so  low,  as  to  attempt  to  advance  himself  by  working 
on  the  sectional  or  religious  prejudices  of  his  countrymen. 
Achilles  would  have  always  left  such  a  job  to  Thersites 
and  to  such  as  our  own  Des  Moines  orator,  Ulysses. 

Here  also,  in  the  second  circle,  Dante  recognizes  Frax- 
CESCA  DA  RniANO,  a  celebrated  belle  in  her  day,  who  tells 
him,  her  greatest  sorrow  is  the  recollection  of  former  joys, 
in  her  present  misery. 

The  poet  then  passes  into  the  third  circle,  where  gluttons 
are  punished.  These  he  found  condemned  to  trudjje  alon<r 
in  deep  mud,  while  rain  and  liail  poured  down  on  them  from 
above.  Nor  was  this  their  only  aftliction.  Cerberus,  the 
triple-headed  watch-dog  of  Hell,  kept  them  in  continual 
alarm  by  his  barking,  and  quickened  their  pace  through  the 
mire  by  an  occasional  nip. 

After  pitying  their  miserable  condition,  he  arrives  at  the 
entrance  of  the  fourth  circle,  where  he  finds  Pluto   actin"" 


340  ALETHAURION. 

as  doorkeeper.  Virgil  having  gained  permission  to  pass^ 
they  enter,  and  find  the  prodigals  and  the  avaricious  engaged 
in  pelting  stones  at  one  another.  But,  as  he  saw  no  good 
would  come  from  an  attempt  to  reconcile  them,  they  pro- 
ceed to  the  fifth  circle. 

There,  in  the  stygian  morass,  they  found  all  who  in  this 
life  had  been  lazy,  likewise  the  peevish  and  hot  tempered, 
busy  at  work,  fisting,  clouting  and  kicking  each  other. 

Virgil  next  introduces  Dante  into  the  city  of  Dis,  where 
heretics  get  their  deserts.  They  were  punished  by  fire,  and 
stabled  within  furnaces,  like  those  used  now-a-days  for 
cremating.       * 

After  having  peeped  into  and  passed  by  several  of  these 
summer-houses,  our  poet  was  taken  to  the  seventh  circle, 
presided  over  by  the  Minotaur. 

On  approaching  the  center,  they  came  in  sight  of  a  river 
of  blood,  with  high  and  slippery  banks.  In  this  stream 
were  all  who  had  died  with  the  guilt  of  murder  on  their 
souls.  .They  swam  about  like  rats  in  a  tub  of  water,  trying 
hard  to  escape.  But  as  soon  as  one  got  to  the  bank,  and 
attempted  to  leave  the  horrible  stream,  an  arrow  from  the 
bow  of  a  centaur  sent  him  reelins^  back  into  the  current. 

In  another  part  of  the  seventh  circle  suicides,  and  those 
who  had  destroyed  their  own  possessions  received  the  re- 
ward of  merit — the  former  by  being  changed  into  rough  and 
knotty  trunks,  on  which  the  harpies  or  buzzards  roosted  ; 
and  the  latter  by  being  chased  forever,  and  without  rest,  by 
troops  of  hungry  black  dogs. 

Three  other  species  of  violent  characters,  viz :  the  un- 
godly, the  violent  against  nature,  and  the  violent  against  art, 
here  also  repented  of  their  follies.  They  were  compelled  to 
foot  it  through  a  desert  of  burning  sand,  while  fire  and  brim- 
stone showered  down  without  ceasing  on  their  heads. 

When  they  had  examined  all  the  curiosities  of  the  seventh 
circle,  Virgil  and  our  poet  then  slid  down  along  the  back 
of  the  triple-bodied   Geryon  into   the  eighth  ;  which   they 


ALETIIAUniOX.  341 

louiul  to  consist  of  ten  dens,  each  tenanted  by  sinners  of  a 
different  brand  from  the  rest. 

In  the  first  were  all  those  who,  in  life,  had  beguiled  young 
women,  or  had  lent  aid  to  others  for  that  end.  Being 
naked,  these  dirty  fellows  were  flogged  unceasingly  by  furies, 
specially  deputed  for  the  purpose.  In  the  second  den  were 
the  flatterers  of  the  great  and  powerful  of  this  world.  Their 
punishment  consisted  in  being  obliged  to  stand,  or  swim 
around  in  liquid  of  high  smelling  odor. 

The  third  den  had  a  floor  with  many  holes,  and  sticking 
out  of  these  our  poet  noticed  a  forest  of  shins  from  the 
knee.  They  belonged  to  those,  who  had  been  guilty  of 
simony ;  and  to  keep  them  warm,  each  had  a  fire  kindled  on 
the  soles  of  his  feet. 

The  fortune  tellers  hold  the  fourth  den,  and  as  their 
heads  were  turned  completely  about,  their  punishment  con- 
sisted in  being  obliged  to  walk  lobster  fashion  ;  amongst 
them,  Dante  recognizes  Manto  Tebana,  the  reputed  foun- 
der of  the  city  of  Mantua. 

Swindlers  and  those  who  had  embezzled  the  public  money, 
or  sold  their  country,  were  quartered  in  the  fifth  den,  where 
there  w^as  a  lake  of  boiling  pitch,  in  which  to  slake  their  in- 
fernal thirst. 

In  the  sixth  den,  all  together  in  a  squad,  were  the  hypo- 
crites, and  their  punishment  consisted  in  being  compelled  to 
wear  heavy  capes  and  cowles  of  lead,  gilt  on  the  outside. 
Along  with  this,  they  were  obliged  to  walk  continually 
around  the  den,  with  heads  cast  down,  and  clasped  hands 
resting  on  their  paunches.  Amongst  them  our  poet  saw 
Catalano  and  Loderixgo,  two  monks  of  Bologna,  who  ap- 
pear, in  Dante's  opinion,  to  have  put  too  many  extras  on 
their  piety,  for  which  he  rewards  them  with  a  place  in  the 
Inferno. 

Highwaymen  and  serpents  possess  the  seventh  den  ;  and 
those  who  gave  false  counsel  are  punished  with  flames  in  the 
eiirhth. 


342  ALETHAURION. 

In  the  ninth  were  those  who  used  their  endeavors  to 
spread  heresy  ;  and  also  gossiping  old  women  and  scandal 
mongers.  They  were  punished  by  having  their  members 
divided. 

In  the  tenth  and  last  den  were  counterfeiters  of  all  kinds. 
These  were  punished  by  sickness,  pestilence,  hunger  and 
thirst,  bit  one  another,  or  were  piled  up  like  cord-wood  in  a 
shed. 

Finally  Dante  and  his  guide  pass  on  to  the  ninth  and  last 
circle,  which  he  finds  divided  into  four  spheres,  the  prisons 
of  as  many  different  kinds  of  traitors,  all  punished  in  a 
way  corresponding  to  their  merits. 

In  the  fourth  sphere  he  finds  the  inmates  covered  with  ice, 
through  which  they  shone  like  motes  in  a  piece  of  amber. 
Some  of  them  stood  on  their  feet,  others  on  their  heads, 
and  not  a  few  were  bent  double,  like  boys  playing  leap- 
frog. 

Judas  Iscariot,  with  Brutus  and  Cassius,  were  among 
the  ornaments  of  this  place,  and  nearest  Old  Lucifer  him- 
self, who  appeared  in  the  very  center  of  hell,  covered  in  ice 
up  to  the  third  rib. 

The  monster  had  three  faces — one  red,  one  mulatto,  and 
one  black — from  beneath  each  of  which  grew  wings  like 
those  of  a  bat,  but  larger  than  the  sails  of  any  vessel. 
From  his  six  eyes  poured  floods  of  tears  ;  and  his  mouths, 
like  hempbreaks,  mashed  the  sinners,  making  their  blood 
and  other  humors  of  the  body  to  run  down  his  neck  and 
breast. 

The  eternity  of  punishment  will  be  our  next  subject. 


ALETHAURION.  34^ 


CHAPTER  LXXXII. 


HELL  S  TORMENTS  ARE  ETERNAL. 

We  now  leave  the  poets,  and  return  to  shake  hands,  once 
more,  with  the  philosophers  and  theologians.  Our  subject, 
the  eternity  of  punishment  in  the  next  life,  is  not  pleasant 
food  for  contemplation.  But,  it  is  said,  by  good  judges,  to 
be  healthy,  if  taken  in  moderation. 

Eternity  has  four  different  meanings.  Sometimes  it  is 
used  to  express  a  very  long  period  of  time.  And,  in  this 
sense,  the  possession  of  the  promised  land  by  the  Jews  was 
called  eternal.  In  the  second  place,  that  is  called  eternal 
which  had  a  beginning  but  will  have  no  end  ;  as,  for  example, 
the  angels  and  souls  of  men. 

Thirdly,  that  is  called  eternal,  but  improperly  so,  which 
is  indeed  without  beginning  and  without  end,  but  not  abso- 
lutely necessary  ;  such  as  the  free  acts  of  the  Divine  will  or 
intellect. 

Finally,  and  in  the  strict  sense,  eternity  may  be  defined 
as  absolute  and  necessary  duration,  without  beginning  and 
without  end.  In  this  sense  God  alone  is  eternal.  The 
definition  of  eternity  most  generally  accepted  is  that  of 
BoETius,  who  calls  it  **  the  entire  and  perfect  possession,  at 
one  and  the  same  time,  of  an  endless  life." 

This  suits  our  purposes  well  enough,  and  we  may  now 
proceed  to  show  that  the  torments  of  the  wicked  are  eternal, 
in  the  sense  that  they  will  not  have  an  end. 

We  must  here  rely  altogether  on  what  God  has  chosen  to 
reveal  on  the  subject.  Human  reason,  directed  by  the  light 
of  the  natural  law,  might  indeed  lead  to  thebelief  that  there 
ought  to  be  a  hereafter,  with  rewards  for  the  good  and  pun- 
ishments for  the  wicked.     But  that  those  torments   should 


344  ALETHAURION. 

be  eternal,  is  something  of  which  man  could  never  be 
absolutely  certain  without  the  revelation  of  God. 

The  existence  of  a  purgatory  falls,  to  some  extent,  within 
the  domain  of  reason ;  the  existence  of  a  hell,  with  endless 
misery,  is  as  mysterious  as  it  is  terrible. 

Therefore,  since  God  is  truth  and  cannot  deceive,  the 
whole  question  comes  to  this  :  Has  he  at  any  time  declared 
the  punishments  of  hell  to  be  endless?  We  answer  in  the 
affirmative ;  and  if  they  are  not  so,  then  revelation  and 
Christianity  are  only  a  myth  and  a  dream.  God's  veracity 
is  at  stake. 

In  ancient  times  He  revealed  His  wall  to  man  through  the 
prophets.  Let  us  see  what  their  testimony  is  on  the  sub- 
ject.    Daniel  xii,  2,  says: 

"  And  many  of  those  that  sleep  in  the  dust  of  the  earth  shall  awake, 
some  unto  life  everlasting,  and  others  unto  reproach,  to  see  it  always.'' 

IsAiAS,   the    prophet,   Ixvi,  24,  speaking  of   the  damned, 
uses  these  words : 
"  Their  worm  dieth  not,  and  their  fire  is  not  extinguhished." 

In   the  book  of  Ecclesiastes,  King   Solomon,   exhorting 

his  people  to  repent,  and  make  peace  with  God,  while  time 

is  given,  says : 

"  If  the  tree  fall  to  the  south  or  to  the  north,  in  what  place  soever  it 
shall  fall,  there  shall  it  be!'* 

The  tree  here  spoken  of  is  the  human  soul.  At  the 
period  of  its  separation  from  the  body  it  falls,  either  to  the 
north  or  south,  that  is,  it  goes  to  heaven  or  to  hell.  And 
just  as  God  allows  the  dead  tree  to  remain  where  it  has 
fallen,  so  does  he  also  permit  the  soul  to  lie  forever  in  that 
bed  which  in  life  it  had  prepared  for  itself. 

Heretics  who  deny  the  existence  of  a  purgatory,  some- 
times bring  forward  this  text  as  a  proof  that  there  is  no 
intermediate  state  in  the  future  life. 

Two  backwoodsmen,  one  a  Catholic  and  the  other  a  here- 
tic, had  a  discussion  on  this  point,  some   time  ago.     They 


ALETHAURIOX.  ,  345 

were  neighbors,  out  cuttuig  cord-wood,  one  on  this  and  the 
other  on  that  side  of  the  fence. 

**  Look  here,  BoGGS,"  said  Murphy,  ** they  tell  me  you 
had  a  strange  preacher  down  at  the  Forks,  last  Sunday.** 
**Yes,*'  answered  the  other,  *'and  he's  a  !)uster,  I  tell  you 
he  is.  The  way  lie  laid  down  the  hiw,  slapped  the  Bible 
and  kicked  the  pulpit,  was  a  caution."  **  Well,  what  did 
he  say,  anyhow?"  *'  Oh,  I  couldn't  tell  you  a  tenth  of  it. 
lie's  a  man  just  out  of  college,  and  uses  the  biggest  kind  of 
words.  You'd  have  to  keep  a  dictionary  open  beside  you 
all  the  time,  in  order  to  understand  him.  Nearly  every 
woman  at  the  meeting  was  excited  :  and  you  never  heard 
such  talk  as  there  was  about  him,  among  the  people  going 
home."  **But,"  said  Murphy,  '*  don't  you  remember 
anything  at  all  that  he  said?"  **  The  only  thing  I  can  now 
call  to  mind  is,  that  towards  the  end  of  the  sermon  he  gave 
you  Catholics  a  terrible  rating."  **AVhyso?"  said  Mur- 
phy. **  Don't  you  believe  in  purgatory?"  asked  Boggs. 
''  We  do,"  said  the  other.  **  Well,  that's  the  first  time  I 
ever  heard  the  word  mentioned,  and  the  preacher  proved, 
out  of  the  Bible,  that  there  is  no  such  place.  Whichever 
way  the  tree  falls  it  stays  there."  *' That's  all  true 
enough,"  said  Murphy,  *' provided  it  falls  ;  but  you  know 
the  tree  sometimes  lodges. "  **  I  never  thousht  of  that,*' 
>aid  Boggs,  **  and  the  next  time  the  preacher  comes  out 
here,  I'll  tell  him  so.  Anyhow,  he  appears  to  me  to  be 
trying  to  make  too  big  a  man  of  himself ,  and  somebody 
ought  to  take  him  down." 

Thus  far  those  rustics.  Let  us  return  to  ourselves  and  to 
this  subject. 

The  Saviour  has  told  us,  in  express  terms,  that  the  tor- 
ments of  the  reprobate  will  never  end.  **  Depart  from  me 
into  everlasting  fire,"  Matt,  xxv,  41,  is  the  sentence  he  will 
pronounce  on  them  at  the  last  day.  **  And  these  shall  go 
into  everlasting  punishment,  but  the  just  into  life  everlast- 

r."v,  46. 


346  t  ALETHAURION. 

It  is  worthy  of  remark,  that  the  torments  of  the  wickecJ 

are  here  pronounced  everlasthig,  in  the  same  sense  that  the 

joys  of  the  elect  are  declared  eternal.     The  text  alone  ought 

to  be  sufficient  to  put  to  rest  forever  any  controversy  on  the 

subject.     But  we  will   add   a  few  more    in   confirmation  of 

what  it  expresses : 

"  If  thy  hand  scandalize  thee,  cut  it  off;  it  is  better  for  thee  to  enter 
into  life,  maimed,  than,  having  two  hands,  to  go  into  hell,  into  the  lire 
that  cannot  be  quenched.'' — Mark,  ix,  42. 

"Amen.  I  say  to  you  that  all  sins  shall  be  forgiven  unto  the  sons  of 
men,  and  the  blasphemic  where  with  the}'  shall  blaspheme,  Init  he  that 
shall  blaspheme  against  the  Holy  Ghost,  shall  never  have  forgiveness,  but 
shall  be  guilty  of  an  everlasting  sin.'" — Mark,  iii,  28-29. 

These  are  the  words  of  Christ  Hhnself ,  as  they  are  found 
in  the  writings  of  men  inspired  by  the  Holy  Ghost. 

Not  long  ago,  the  writer  saw,  in  one  of  the  daily  papers, 
a  sermon  or  essay,  in  which  the  speaker  alluding  to  those 
texts,  had  the  assurance  to  tell  his  hearers  that  the  Apostles 
and  evangelists  did  not  accurately  report  what  the  Saviour 
had  said  on  this  subject.  And  no  doubt,  if  Christ  Himself 
were  to  appear  and  say  to  the  orator  or  preacher  that  they 
had  given  His  words  correctly,  he  would  even  then  con- 
tradict. 

Such  is  the  awful  blasphemous  stupidity  of  some  men^ 
who  have  faith  only  in  themselves,  and  in  their  own  puny 
reason.  They  would  argue  with  the  Omnipotent,  chide 
Him  for  allowing  such  a  relic  of  barbarism  to  exist,  in  this 
enliiifhtened  a^e. 

The  Catholic  Church  bears  testimony  to  the  eternity  of 
punishment,  and  in  doing  so,  she  only  repeats,  from  age  to 
age,  what  she  had  heard  from  the  lips  of  her  Divine 
Founder. 

When,  centuries  ago,  the  celebrated  Origin,  a  man  of  im- 
mense intellect,  began  to  surmise,  out  of  the  goodness  of  his 
heart,  that  the  torments  of  the  demons  and  of  the  reprobate 
might  some  time  have  an  end,  the  Church  in  the  general 
council,  came  to  the  front,  and  solemnly  declared  such  a 


ALETHAURION.  347 

t 

doctrine  heretical,  and  in  contradiction  to  the  truth,  as 
taught  by  Christ  and  the  Apostles. 

Should  any  of  our  readers  desire  to  see  what  the  most  an- 
cient Fathers  have  had  to  say  on  the  eternity  of  punishment, 
they  will  find  many  and  appropriate  extracts  from  their 
works,  in  Petavius,  concerning  the  angels,  bookiii,  chap.  8. 

Finally,  let  us  conclude,  by  saying  that  eternal  torment  is 
a  mystery.  One  that  we  are  bound  to  believe,  because  the 
supreme  Truth  has  revealed  it.  A  punishment  that  is  just, 
because  inflicted  by  infinite  justice.  Let  us  not,  however, 
tell  our  neighbors  they  do  not  reason,  because  unable  ta 
under  stand  it. 

Eternal  misery  is  above  reason,  altogether  within  the  do- 
main of  revelation.  For  its  truth,  we  have  only  that  faith 
which  is  the  argument  of  things  that  appear  not. 

Human  reason  and  human  justice  might  be  content  with 
giving  a  warm  corner  in  purgatory  for  a  century  or  so.  But 
the  justice  of  God  is  infinite. 

In  our  next  we  will  take  up  and  sift  some  popular  objec- 
tions. 


CHAPTER  LXXXIII. 


ANS^^'ERS    TO    SOME    OF   THE    OBJECTIONS    AGAINST   THE    ETER- 
NITY    OF   PUNISHMENT. 

The  good  as  well  as  the  wicked  have  very  serious  objec- 
tions to  being  tormented  forever  in  the  next  life.  And,  of 
the  two,  the  saints  appear  more  opposed  to  it  than  the  sin- 
ners. ^ 

But  the  former  seek  to  destroy  the  effect  by  attacking 
the  cause,  which  is  sin  ;  whereas  the  latter  wish  to  abolish 
the  effect  without  attempting  to  remove  that,  for  the  pun- 
ishment of  which  hell  was  called  into  existence. 

The  saints  are  here  decidedly  the  wiser  and  better  logicians. 


348  ALETHAURION. 

But  the  entire  depth  of  their  wisdom  will  not  appear 
until  death  shall  have  exposed  all  the  fallacies  that  the 
world,  the  flesh  and  the  devil  have  woven. 

Let  us  see  what  reasons  are  sometimes  broufifht  forward 
against  the  doctrine  of  eternal  punishment. 

"  God,"  said  an  acquaintance  to  the  waiter,  a  few  days 
ago,  '*  placed  me  in  this  world,  without  my  knowledge  or 
consent;  He  gave  me  a  propensity  to  evil,  almost  from  my 
birth,  and,  as  I  increased  in  years,  my  inclination  to  sin 
grew  stronger.  Now,  as  I  made  no  contract  with  the  Lord 
to  keep  His  commandments,  in  consideration  of  happiness 
hereafter,  is  it  not  unjust  that  He  should  punish  me  eter- 
nally for  not  observing  a  law  that  I  never  accepted,  and  one, 
moreover,  that  I  am  continually  tempted  to  violate,  on 
account  of  a  disposition  and  propensities  that  He  has  given 
me?" 

Our  philosopher  spoke  this  with  such  an  air  of  assurance 
and  earnestness  as  to  leave  no  doubt  that  he  imagined  the 
Almighty  entirely  in  the  wTong,  and  he  a  much  persecuted 
man  indeed. 

Let  us  take  up  his  case  and  examine  his  grounds  of  com- 
plaint ;  because,  though  fallacious,  they  would  appear 
specious  enough  to  a  man  with  some  desperate  project  in 
<5ontemplation. 

Fii'st,  oi  all,  we  ask:  Had  God  a  right  to  create  our 
philosophical  wise-acre?  This  will  not  be  denied  by  any 
one  who  admits  that  a  potter  is  at  liberty  to  make  a  crock 
out  of  clay  that  belongs  entirely  to  himself. 

Second,  Had  God  the  right  to  impose  upon  him  the  ob- 
servance of  a  law  without  his  consent?  Right  reason  can 
give  but  one  answer.  Even  human  society  claims  the  privi- 
lege. And  the  hangman  would  grin  serenely  at  the  sim- 
plicity of  a  culprit  who  should  object  to  the  rope,  on  the 
ground  that  he  never  oave  his  consent  to  the  law  that  made 
murder  a  capital  offense. 

God,  though  all  powerful,  could  not  create  a  being  and 


ALETHAURION.  349 

make  it  independent  of  Himself.  He  alone  is  self-existent 
and  independent.  All  things  else  must  bow  before  Him. 
LuriFEii  fell  when  he  said,  **  I  will  not  serve."  And  it  is 
the  same  spirit  that  animates  his  followers.  They  would 
have  God  to  conform  to  their  notions,  not  they  to   His  law. 

When,  some  live  months  ago,  a  notorious  pulpit  thumper, 
of  Brooklyn,  declared  that  he  did  not  wish  to  go  to  heaven 
presided  over  by  a  demon,  who  swept  people  into  hell  like 
flies,  without  taking  the  trouble  to  kill  them,  he  spoke  out 
of  the  pride  of  his  heart,  and  impiously  took  upon  himself 
to  judge  the  Omnipotent  and  to  condemn  Him.  He  made 
his  own  God,  as  did  the  Pagans  of  old.  Or,  rather,  he 
imagined  one,  who  should  be  a  servant  and  factotum  to  his 
creatures,  but  without  the  privilege  of  finding  fault  with 
anything  they  chose  to  do. 

To  criticise  the  providence  of  God  is  an  attempt  to  defy 
one's  self.  It  springs  from  pride,  of  a  stolid  and  morose 
character,  and  is  founded  on  ignorance  of  who  God  is  and 
who  we  are. 

**  Almost  from  my  birth  I  had  evil  inclinations,"  says  our 
philosopher.  Very  true  indeed,  ''the  imagination  and 
thought  of  a  man's  heart  are  prone  to  evil  from  his  youth." 
This  is  one  of  the  effects  of  original  sin,  by  which  man  was 
stripped  of  supernatural  gifts,  and  wounded  grievously  in 
natural  endowments. 

But  what  follows  from  it?  Are  we  to  admit  that,  because 
there  is  a  propensity  to  evil  in  the  human  breast,  no  crime 
is  imputable  to  the  evil  doer?  Such  a  doctrine  would  upset 
all  law. 

If  the  inclination  to  wickedness  were  of  a  nature  that  it 
could  not  be  resisted,  then,  indeed,  man  would  not  be  res- 
ponsible before  God  for  his  crimes.  Let  us  put  the  case  in 
this  way :  Can  a  man  avoid  giving  to  another  the  honor  due 
to  God  ;  can  he  avoid  taking  the  holy  name  in  vain  ;  doing 
servile  work  on  Sunday  ;  dishonoring  his  parents  ;  murder, 
hatred    and    revenge ;    adultery,    fornication,     theft,    evil 


350  ALETHAURION. 

thoughts  and  desire?  We  ask  again,  can  a  man  avoid  these 
things,  if  he    wishes  to  do  so? 

He  who  says  ]ie  cannot,  is,  by  his  own  confession,  a  dan- 
gerous character,  and  ought  to  be  put  at  once  either  with 
the  convicts  or  the  lunatics. 

From  all  we  can  learn,  it  would  appear  that  the  Supreme 
Being  intended  that  man's  life  here  on  earth  should  be  a 
warfare.  And  the  Apostle  says  that  "  no  one  is  crowned 
except  he  who  has  legitimately  fought." 

Again,  says  this  man  who  does  not  admit  eternal  punish- 
ment :^ 

*'  I  have  at  home  a  son,  who  has  come  to  the  age  of  rea- 
son, and  he  sometimes  afflicts  my  heart  sorely,  by  his  rack- 
less  manner  of  life.  He  steals  from  mq  and  robs  me  of 
everything  he  can  lay  his  hands  on,  and  spends  the  proceeds 
with  companions  as  wayward  as  himself.  He  refuses  to 
work  or  assist  me  in  any  way,  and  goes  so  far  as  to  even 
threaten  my  life,  unless  I  give  iiim  of  my  substance  to  waste 
upon  harlots.  Yet,  notwithstanding  all  that,  I  could  not  see 
the  boy  go  to  the  penitentiary,  even  for  a  year — not  if  it 
cost  me  three-fourths  of  what  I  am  worth.  Now  God  loves 
us  more  than  a  father  can  love  his  child,  and  we  cannot  do 
Him  any  injury,  nor  diminish  His  happiness,  as  my  unfor- 
tunate son  does  mine.  As  I  am  not  moi-e  merciful  than 
God,  I  cannot  believe  that  He  will  punish  His  children  for 
all  eternity  in  flames  ;  when  I  could  not  reconcile  myself  to 
the  idea  of  seeing  my  boy  in  the  State's  prison  for  only  a 
very  few  months." 

We  may  reply :  Very  likely,  you  have  precisely  such  a 
boy  as  the  one  you  speak  of.  You  are  exactly  the  kind  of 
a  father  to  own  a  lad  of  his  description.  You  teach  him 
there  is  no  hell,  and  he  does  all  in  his  power  to  teach  you 
that  the  Almighty  made  a  mistake  in  not  creating  one. 

But  let  us  come  to  a  direct  answer.  The  two  cases  are 
not  parallel.  God  loves  man,  it  is  true,  with  more  than  an 
earthly  parent's  love.     But  His   justice   is   commensurate 


ALETIIAUI{I(»N.  351 

with  His  love.  Destroy  thiit — have  Him  to  make  no  dis- 
tinction between  the  unjust  aggressor  and  his  victim,  and 
you  have  a  Deity  altogether  different  from  the  one  that  now 
•deserves  our  adoration. 

Parental  affection  is,  by  a  wis'j  law  of  nature,  very  strong 
in  the  human  breast ;  so  powerful  as  sometimes  to  smother 
all  opposing  considerations.  Still,  history  gives  us  some 
examples  of  men  in  authority  condemning  to  death  their 
own  offspring,  for  violation  of  law,  and  we  praise  the  jus- 
tice that  could  make  so  great  a  sacrifice. 

Shall  we  expect  less  of  a  being  infinitely  perfect  than  can 
sometimes  be  found  in  man?  The  attributes  of  God  do  not 
clash,  the  one  with  the  other,  as  do  the  passions  and  weak- 
nesses of  His  earthly  images. 

Hence,  this  man's  mode  of  acting  towards  his  wayward 
son  is  by  no  means  a  safe  criterion.  If  his  justice  were  on 
a  par  with  his  love,  the  boy  would  long  ago  have  been  occu- 
pying a  position  in  the  institution  that  has  sashes  without 
"glasses. 

Another  objection  against  the  eternity  of  punishment  is 
sometimes  put  in  the  following  way  : 

Man,  inasmuch  as  he  is  a  finite  being,  is  incapable  of  an 
infinite  act,  either  for  good  or  for  evil  ;  and,  as  the  measure 
of  punishment  ought  not  to  exceed  the  measure  of  guilt,  so 
•an  endless  torture  ought  not  to  be  inflicted  on  account  of  a 
deed  done  in  a  moment  of  time. 

We  reply  :  Very  true,  man,  regarded  absolutely,  is  incapa- 
ble of  anvthini?  infinite,  but  his  evil  deeds,  inasmuch  as  thev 
are  directed  against  God,  who  is  infinite,  acquire  thereby  a 
corresponding  malice,  which  calls  for  an  endless  retribution. 
Moreover,  though  the  act  which  constitutes  a  mortal  sin  may 
l)e  consummated  in  a  moment  of  tim3,  its  formality. con- 
tinues until  it  is  repented  of. 

And,  as  man's  time  of  probation  is  limited  to  this  life,  if 
he  should  die  in  mortal  sin,  having  passed  over  the  entire 
way   to   the  end  of   the  pilgrimage,  where   change,  in   his 


352  ALETHAURION. 

moral  conditian,  is  no  longer  possible,  the  sin  in  which  he 
has  died,  becomes  an  everlasting  one,  deserving  endless  pun- 
ishment, according  to  its  malice. 

Our  next  will  be  about  the  condition   in   the  next  life  of 
infants  who  depart  without  baptism. 


CHAPTER  LXXXIV. 


WHERE  UNBAPTIZED  INFANTS  GO  AFTER  DEATH. 

In  the  future  life  there  are  three  places  to  sojourn — 
heaven,  purgatory  and  hell.  All  who  die  must  pass  into 
some  one  of  these  three  states.  Those  who  have  never 
soiled  the  white  robe  of  baptism  ;  those  who  had  shed  their 
blood  for  the  faith,  and  those  who  have  done  adequate  pen- 
ance for  their  sins,  in  this  life,  go  at  once  to  heaven. 

All  who  die  in  mortal  sin  are  immediately  swept  into  hell, 
while  persons  who  depart  with  lesser  sins,  called  venial,  or 
have  not  satisfied  the  Divine  justice  for  their  transgressions, 
are  quartered  in  purgatory. 

Thus  far  everything  is  clear.  But  where  do  the  souls  of 
infants  who  die  without  baptism,  go?  Answer:  They  go 
to  hell.  That  much  also  is  defined  by  the  Church,  and  the 
logical  consequence  of  what  is  taught  in  the  Scriptures.  Let 
us  come  to  the  proof. 

In  the  Fourteenth  Ecumenical  Council,  held  at  Lyons,  A. 
D.,  1274,  and  in  that  of  Florence,  A.  D.,  1439,  the  follow- 
ing was  defined  to  be  part  and  parcel  of  the  Catholic  faith  : 
*'  We  believe  that  the  souls  of  those  Avho  die  in  mortal  sin, 
or  in  original  sin  alone,  go  at  once  to  hell,  to  be  punished 
according  as  each  deserves."  \_Poe7iis  tamen  disparibus 
jpuniendas  .~\ 

The  Scriptures  teach  the  same  doctrine.  From  them  we 
learn  that  men  are  born  in  sin,  and  that  nothing  defiled  can 
enter  heaven. 


ALETHAURION.  353 

Hence,  as  infants  cannot  be  freed  from  original  guilt  in 
any  other  way  than  by  baptism,  either  of  blood  or  water,  it 
follows  that  if  they  die  before  having  been  baptized,  they 
cannot  be  saved.  **  Unless  a  man  be  born  again  of  water 
and  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  he  cannot  enter  the  kingdom  of 
God."     John  iii,  5. 

Let  us  take  a  few  texts  of  Scripture,  and  see  how  clearly 
the  doctrine  of  original  sin  is  laid  down  in  our  sacred  writ- 
ings. Job  xiv,  4,  addressing  God,  says:  **  Who  can  him 
clean  that  is  conceived  of  unclean  seed?"  In  Psalm  1,  7, 
King  David,  says:  **  Behold  I  was  conceived  in  iniquities, 
and  in  sins  did  my  mother  conceive  me."  St.  Paul,  Ro- 
mans v,  12,  teaches  the  same  doctrine.  **  Wherefore," 
says  he,  **  as  by  one  man  sin  entered  into  the  world,  and  by 
sin  death  ;  and  so  death  passed  .  unto  all  men  in  whom  all 
have  sinned.  Therefore,  as  by  the  offence  of  one,  unto  all 
men  to  condemnation,  so  also  by  the  justice  of  one  unto  all 
men  unto  justification  of  life." 

Again,  1  Cor.  xv,  21 :  **  Death  came  by  a  man,  and  by  a 
man  the  resurrection  of  the  dead.  And  as  in  Adam  all  die, 
so  also  in  Christ  all  shall  be  made  alive." 

These  various  texts  show  that  men  are  born  in  sin  and  can- 
not see  the  face  of  God  until  cleansed  therefrom. 

Having  now  given  all  that  is  of  faith  on  the  subject,  we 
may  next  go  into  some  speculations.  The  idea  most  per- 
sons have  of  hell  is,  that  it  is  a  pool  of  fire  in  which  all  are 
huddled  together  and  punished  in  the  same  manner,  and  to 
the  same  degree.  This  is  false,  and  conflicts  with  the  jus- 
tice of  God,  who  will  render  to  every  man  accordins?  to  his 
works.  For,  as  in  our  Heavenly  Father's  house  there  are 
many  mansions,  each  corresponding  to  the  merits  of  its 
occupants,  so  in  Hades,  there  are  various  grades  of  punish- 
ment, to  correspond  with  the  iniquities  done  in  the  flesh. 

Not  long  ago,  while  the  writer  was  at  a  certain  place,  on 
missionary  duty,  a   house  was   pointed  out  to  him,  where 


354  AI.ETHAURION. 

lives  a  man  whose  ideas  appear  to  be  somewhat  bemuddled 
on  this  point. 

<<  I  know,"  says  this  desperate  wretch,  '*  that  after  death 
I  will  go  to  hell,  and  what's  the  use  in  trying  to  be  good, 
or  to  avoid  doing  evil,  provided  I  keep  out  of  the  peniten- 
tiary, and  away  from  the  hangman?" 

Qaite  correct,  on  the  supposition  that  hell  is  the  same  for 
all.  But  there  is  where  the  mistake  lies.  The  o:reater  the 
iniquity,  the  more  intense  the  retribution.  This  brings  us 
to  the  aforesaid  speculations  on  thie  condition  of  infants, 
who  have  died  without  baptism. 

In  a  matter  of  this  kind,  before  obtruding  our  own  views, 
we  prefer  to  give  those  of  others.  St.  Augustine,  whom 
nearly  all  the  other  Latin  fathers  have  followed,  was  of 
opinion  that  the  souls  of  unbaptized  infants  are  punished 
with  eternal  fire,  but  with  heat  so  mild,  that  one  cannot 
determine  whether  existence  is  to  them  acceptable,  or  the 
reverse. 

Cardinal  Norris,  who  wrote  a  commentary  on  the  works 
of  St.  Augustine,  goes  more  into  particulars.  Norris  says 
their  pain  is  of  the  lightest  and  mildest  character,  the  fire 
Tvarming  the  little  creatures,  and  giving  some  annoyance, 
but  not  so  as  to  scorch  them. 

The  writer  does  not  know  where  this  most  eminent  Cardi- 
nal got  his  thermometer  or  how  he  managed  to  bring  the 
matter  down  to  such  a  fine  point.  Yet,  he  is  entitled  to  his 
opinion,  where  the  Church  has  not  spoken. 

The  Greek  fathers  amongst  whom  St.  Gregory  Nazian- 
ZEN,  and  St.  Gregory,  of  Nyssa,  differ  with  the  Latins,  in 
admitting  only  the  plan  of  loss,  and  opining  that  those  in- 
fants endure  no  pain  of  sense  whatever. 

The  schoolmen  and  theologians  do  not  accord  any  better 
among  themselves  on  this  point  than  do  the  Fathers.  Some 
have  gone  so  far  as  to  affirm  it  is  of  faith  that  unbaptized  in- 
fants are  punished  with  the  pain  of  sense,  whilst  others, 
such  as  Vasquez  hold  the    contrary    opinion,  maintaining, 


ALETHAURION.  355 

with  some  of  the  schoolmen,  that  it  is  of  faith  that  such  in- 
fants suffer  only  the  pain  of  loss.  The  latter  opinion  is  the 
one  now  most  generally  held. 

Let  the  reader,  however,  bear  in  mind  that  it  is  by  no 
means  of  faith,  and  consequently  we  cannot  be  abso- 
lutely certain  about  it. 

Respecting  this  pain  or  loss  which  unbaptized  infants  en- 
dure, in  the  future  state,  our  theologians  also  dispute 
among  themselves.  Bellarmine,  and  some  others  are  of 
opinion  that  they  experience  a  certain  feeling  of  sadness,  on 
account  of  the  loss  of  the  beatific  vision,  whereas,  St. 
Tho^ias  denies  it  in  toto. 

Ambrosius  Catharinus  not  only  exempts  the  little  ones 
from  all  pain,  but  grants  them  in  his  generosity,  a  natural 
beatitude.  And  this  opinion  does  not  conflict  with  our  holy 
faith.  "We  may  hope  Ambrosius  is  right,  but  he  may  be 
wrong.  And  this  should  be  a  warning  to  all  Christian  par- 
ents, who  have  at  heart  the  eternal  happiness  of  their  child- 
ren, to  see  that  so  far  as  in  them  lies,  they  do  not  depart  this 
life  without  the  sacrament. 

There  is  no  question  about  the  happiness  of  baptized 
infants  in  the  next  life.  They  certainly  enjoy  the  vision  of 
God.  But  there  is  considerable  diversity  of  opinion  in 
regard  to  the  unbaptized.  Moreover,  Christ  commanded 
the  Apostles  to  baptize  all  nations,  and  when  a  command  has 
been  given,  there  is  a  corresponding  obligation  to  obey, 

St.  Thomas  Aquinas,  qucest,  v,  de  malo,  goes  on  to  show 
how  infants,  dying  without  baptism,  though  deprived  of  the 
beatific  vision,  still  are  not  affected  with  sadness,  on  that 
account.  Those  souls  know  they  were  created  for  a  certain 
happiness,  but  they  are  not  aware  that  such  bliss  consists  in 
the  clear  vision  of  God,  and- that  they  are  excluded  from  its 
enjoyment  on  account  of  original  sin. 

Hence,  they  are  free  from  all  sorrow,  but  are  excluded 
from  that  ineffable  glory  which  the  sacrament  of  baptism 
would  have  opened  to  them. 


356  ALETHAURION. 

How  sad  to  think  that,  even  in  a  country  like  this,  where 
the  name  of  Christ  is  known,  and  where  ignorant  sects  rant 
so  much  about  baptism,  yet  thousands  of  little  children  are 
allowed  to  perish  yearly  without  having  had  poured  upon 
them  the  waters  of  recjeneration. 

Let  us,  in  conclusion,  admire  the  true  Church,  that  grand 
old  institution  that  speaks  to  man  in  the  name  and  by  the 
authority  of  God,  and  defines,  with  infallible  clearness,  his 
duty  to  his  Maker,  to  his  neighbor,  to  himself,  and  to  his 
children  from  the  cradle  even  to  the  coffin. 

Purgatory  will  next  claim  our  attention. 


CHAPTER  LXXXV. 


CONCERNTNG  PURGATO^RY. 

Having  finished  our  explorations  of  hell,  we  next  come  to 
purgatory.  It  may  be  defined  as  a  middle  state  of  souls 
sufferino;  for  a  time  on  account  of  their  sins. 

Let  us  begin  with  a  statement  of  what  the  Church  teaches 
on  the  subject,  and  what  we  are  in  consequence  bound  to  be- 
lieve ;  then,  having  finished  our  task,  we  can  devote  the  re- 
mainder  of  the  time  to  speculation. 

Rigorously  speaking,  there  are  only  two  things  that  we> 
as  Catholics,  must  believe  in  regard  to  the  place  or  state  in 
question.  First:  That  it  exists.  Second:  That  the  souls 
therein  detained  are  aided  by  our  prayers  and  by  the  sacri- 
fice of  the  mass. 

Any  one  admitting  those  two  points  may  then  give  full 
play  to  his  imagination ;  figure  to  himself  a  purgatory 
according  to  his  fancy,  and  no  one  will  have  the  right  to  call 
him  a  heretic  for  doing  so.  Such  is  the  length  of  his 
tether,  and  such  the  circle  within  which  he  is  allowed  to 
prance  and  caper. 

There  are  as  many  different  opinions   in   regard  to   the 


ALETHAURION.  357 

location  of  purgatory  as  there  are  with  respect  to  the  site  of 
Pluto's  gloomy  realm. 

Some  imagine  it  to  bo  within  the  earth,  and  not  far  off 
from  hell ;  others,  that  it  is  on  the  surface  of  our  globe,  and 
that  each  one  is  punished  in  the  very  locality  where  he  com- 
mitted the  worst,  or  the  greatest  number  of  his  sins. 

Neither  do  we  know  what  kind  of  punishments  those  souls 
are  compelled  to  endure,  nor  how  long  a  time  they  have  to 
stay.  Fire  is  the  safest  word  to  use  in  this  connection,  and, 
as  to  the  limit  or  term  of  imprisonment,  it  is  better  not  to 
be  too  exact. 

Soto,  a  theologian  of  some  reputation,  thought  ten  of  our 
years  sufficient  for  all  purgative  purposes ;  whereas,  there 
are  others  who  defer  the  time  of  grace  and  deliverance,  for 
not  a  few,  until  the  morning  of  doomsday. 

Purgatory  will  certainly  continue  until  that  period.  But 
it  does  not  appear  reasonable  to  the  writer  to  suppose  that 
an  individual  man  is  detained  there  many  centuries,  nor  even 
for  any  great  number  of  years.  Intense  pain  and  short  time 
would  answer  the  purpose  quite  as  well  as  the  sting  of  a  bee 
fifty  times  a  day,  with  ten  centuries  to  endure  such  annoy- 
ance. 

We  might,  also,  at  this  point,  raise  the  question  as  to 
whether  the  punishment  of  all  are  of  the  same  intensity  in 
purgatory. 

At  first  sight  it  would  appear  that  they  ought  not  to  be, 
for  the  sins  of  men  vary  in  malice  and  in  number.  But,  on 
a  second  thought,  when  we  recollect  that  God  can  so  grade 
the  time  as  to  give  each  the  salting  he  deserves,  we  will 
readily  see  that  no  absurdity  would  follow  from  saying  that 
all  now  in  purgatory  suffer  alike,  or  to  the  same  degree  of 
intensity.  From  this  it  does  not,  however,  follow  that  the 
instrument  of  punishment  must  be  the  same  for  all. 

Two  men  here  may  suffer  equally — the  one  from  the  tooth- 
ache and  the  other  from  cramp  colic.     We  may  now  proceed 


35  8  ALETHAURION . 

to  establish  the  fact  that  there  is  a  purgatory,  and  that  the 
souls  in  it  are  helped  by  our  prayers. 

The  best  argument  on  this,  as  on  all  other  questions 
touching  faith  and  morals,  is  the  authority  of  the  Church. 
And,  in  reasoning  with  heretics,  that  point  ought  to  be  par- 
ticularly insisted  upon.  It  is  the  Church  that  teaches.  To 
it  was  confided  by  the  Saviour  the  task  of  preserving  pure, 
and  propagating  through  the  ages,  all  that  God  has  revealed 
as  necessary  to  salvation. 

On  occasion  we  make  use  of  the  Scriptures  in  arguing 
with  heretics.  But  the  most  confounding  argument  of  all  is 
to  establish  the  fact  that  Christ  founded  a  Church,  that 
He  commissioned  it  to  teach  all  nations,  that  He  made  it 
infallible  and  indefectible,  and  that  the  Church  thus  founded 
and  endowed,  is  the  very  same  as  that  of  which  Leo  XHI, 
is  to-day  the  acknowledged  head.  • 

These  facts  can  be  established  with  the  greatest  ease. 
Hence,  even  though  we  should  grant  that  not  even  one  word 
nor  allusion  to  purgatory  could  be  found  in  the  Scriptures, 
the  doctrine  would  still  be  credible,  for  the  Church  teaches 
it.  And  the  Church  has  preserved  a  knowledge  of  all  that 
Christ  taught ;  whereas,  the  Scriptures  contain  only  a  por- 
tion of  what  God  has  revealed  to  man. 

The  first  bishops  of  the  Catholic  Church,  viz :  the  Apos- 
tles and  Evangelists,  wrote  the  New  Testament ;  but  they 
did  not  reduce  to  writing  all  that  Christ  taught,  as  many 
important  truths  have  been  handed  down  by  tradition. 

The  Fathers  of  the  Council  of  Trent,  Session  vi,  canon  30, 

treating  of  justification,  speak  in  the  following  unequivocal 

terms  of  purgatory. 

"  If  any  one  says  that  by  the  grace  of  justification  the  guilt  and  eternal 
punishment  are  so  remitted  to  the  penitent  that  no  future  temporal  pun- 
ishment remains  to  be  endured  either  in  this  world  or  in  the  next  life 
in  purgatory,  before  entering  the  kingdom  of  heaven,  let  him  be  anath, 
ema," 

Again,  Session  xxii,  canon  3. 


ALETHAURION.  35^ 

*'  If  auy  one  says  that  the  sacrllice  of  the  mass  is  not  propitiatory ;  that 
it  ought  not  be  offered  for  the  living  and  the  dead,  for  sins,  chastisements 
satisfactions,  and  other  necessities,  let  him  be  anathema.'* 

From  these  canons  we  learn  that  when  one  has  committed 
a  mortal  sin,  he  must  suffer  a  temporal  punishment  either 
in  this  world  or  in  purgatory  ;  even  after  the  sin  itself  has 
been  forgiven  in  the  sacrament  of  penance.  The  heretics 
of  our  time  deny  this,  and  maintain  that  when  God  pardons 
a  sin  He  also  remits  the  punishment. 

Hence,  according  to  their  system,  the  robber  who  has 
spent  his  life  in  pillage,  murder  and  iniquity  of  every  sort,, 
if  he  repents  the  instant  before  death,  will  escape  all  pun- 
ishment for  his  crimes  and  go  straight  to  glory.  This  does 
not  look  reasonable.  It  is  not  rendering  to  man  according 
to  his  works.  Our  opponents  point  to  the  parable  of  the  pro- 
digal son,  who  was  received  'vvdth  open  arms  on  his  return 
home  by  his  father  ;  but  the  two  cases  are  not  parallel. 

The  prodigal  suffered  for  his  evil  deeds  in  this  world,  by 
having  been  compelled  to  herd  with  swine  and  endure  hun- 
ger. The  one  under  consideration  is  that  of  a  successful 
rogue,  who  has  cheated,  robbed  and  killed,  and  yet  escaped 
punishment  in  this  life. 

Is  he  to  get  off  free  also  in  the  next?  Not  if  God  is  such 
as  He  has  revealed  Himself  to  be.  When  Ada3I  sinned  he 
was  forgiven,  on  repentance,  but  he  had  to  suffer  temporal 
punishment. 

King  David  offended  God  mortally,  by  murder  and  adul- 
tery ;  and  though  the  guilt  and  eternal  chastisement  were 
here  also  condoned,  yet  he  did  not  escape,  for  he  had  to- 
bear  temporal  woes,  sent  him  because  of  his  crimes. 

Having,  therefore,  once  established  the  fact  that  God 
forgives  the  sin  and  eternal  punishment  due  to  it,  upon 
repentance,  without  exempting  the  sinner  from  temporal 
chastisements,  we  have  the  strongest  argument  for  the 
existence  of  a  purgatory. 

For  as  the  sinner  who  becomes  reconciled  on  his  death-bed 


360  -vLh:THAURION. 

has  not  done  penance  in  this  life,  he  must  do  it  in  the 
future  state.  Not  in  hell,  because  he  is  made  by  repentance 
the  friend  of  God  ;  not  in  heaven,  for  there  is  all  happiness, 
consequently  in  purgatory. 

The  custom  from  the  earliest  ages  of  offering  up  prayers 
and  sacrifices  for  the  purpose  of  the  faithful  departed,  ap- 
proved by  the  same  Tridentine  Fathers,  is  also  a  proof  of 
the  belief  in  the  existence  of  a  middle  state. 

We  here  give  a  few  quotations  from  some  very  ancient 
writings,  which  show  what  was  the  belief  in  primitive  times 
regarding  purgatory. 

St.  Dioxysius,  the  Areopagite,  the  man  whom  St.  Paul. 
converted  at  Athens,  in  his  tract  on  the  Ecclesiastical  Hier- 
archy, chapter  7,  speaking  of  a  portion  of  the  public  service, 
says : 

''  The  venerable  prelate,  approachino:,  goes  on  with  a  holy  prayer  for 
the  dead ;  he  prays  the  Divine  clemency  to  great  pardon  to  the  de- 
ceased for  those  sins  committed  through  human  frailty,  and  that  he  may 
receive  a  place  in  light  and  in  the  land  of  the  living." 

This  is  as  clear  a  case  of  praying  a  man  out  of  purgatory 

as  any  one  can  ask  for.     And  Dioxysius,  who  indorses  it, 

was  a  convert  of  St.  Paul.    Again,  Tertullian,  De  Corona, 

chapters  3  and  4,  says : 

"We  make  oblations  for  the  dead,  on  the  anniversaries  of  their  death. 
{Pro  natalitiis  annua  die.)  If  you  seek  a  Scriptural  precept  for  this,  you 
will  not  find  any :  tradition  is  the  author  of  it,  custom  confirms  it,  and 
the  faith  observes  it." 

A  splendid  proof  of  the  belief  in  a  purgatory  among  the 
primitive  Christians,  may  also  be  found  in  the  acts 
of  St.  Perpetua.  To  quote  the  entire  passage  would 
take  up  too  much  space.     But  we  give  the  substance. 

She  relates  how  she  saw,  in  a  vision,  her  brother  Dixoc- 
RATES,  seven  years  of  age,  suffering  in  purgatory,  and  that 
after  she  had  prayed  for  him,  his  pains  entirely  ceased. 

TVe  do  not  think  it  worth  while  to  give  quotations  from 
any  of  those  Fathers  that  lived  after  the  second  century ; 
and  to  quote  a  modern  writer  would  of  course  be  unneces- 


ALETHAURION.  361 

sary.     Even  heretics  admit  that  the  belief  in  purgatory  goes 

back  to  the  second  century.     We  know  it  does,  and  beyond 

that  period. 

There  are  also  many  passages  of  scripture  that   confirm 

us  in  this  constant  belief,  which  may  be  used   in  disputing 

with  heretics.     In  Matthew  xii,  32,  Christ  says : 

*'  AVbosoever  shall  speak  a  word  against  the  Son  of  Man,  it  shall  be 
forgiven  him ;  but  he  that  sliall  speak  against  the  Holy  Ghost  it  shall  not 
be  forgiven,  neither  in  this  world  nor  in  the  world  to  come. 

A  pretty  clear  proof  we  should  think,  that  there  is  a  pur- 
gatory. For  in  heaven  there  is  no  sin  to  be  forgiven,  and 
out  of  hell  there  is  no  redemption. 

In  Acts  ii,  24,  St.  Luke  speaks  of  Christ  as  having 
-* 'loosed  the  sorrows  of  hell."  What  more  natural  inter- 
pretation can  be  given  to  this  than  the  liberation  of  those 
souls  who  died  in  venial  sins  before  His  coming. 

No  one  went  to  heaven  before  Christ.  The  good  were 
all  in  an  intermediate  state.  Let  the  heretics  tell  us  when 
that  ceased  to  exist? 

Again,  i  Cor.  iii,  13,  St.  Paul  says: 

*•  The  Are  shall  tr\-  ever}-  man's  work :  ....  if  any  man's  work 
burn,  he  shall  suffer  loss,  but  he  himself  shall  be  saved,  yet  so  as  by  fire.'''' 

Hasn't  this  being  saved  by  fire  something  of  the  smell  of 
purgatory  about  it? 

W^e  might  also  cite  many  more   passages   of   scripture  in 

which  allusions  are  made   to   a   middle   state,  but   let    one 

other   suffice.     Machabees  ii,  chap,    xii,  46.     The  inspired 

writer  says : 

*'  It  is  a  holy  and  a  wholesome  thought  to  praj'  for  the  dead,  that  they 
may  be  loosed  from  their  sins.'" 

•  This  shows  that  the  Jews  before  Christ  believed  in  pur- 
gatory, and  they  were  taught  by  prophets  sent  directly  by 
God  to  lead  them  in  the  true  way. 

We  will  speak  in  the  next  chapter  of  the  resurrection  of 
the  body. 


362  ALETHAURION. 


CHAPTER  LXXXVl. 


THE   RESURRECTION    OF      THE   BODY. 

That  the  bodies  of  all  men  will,  on  the  last  day,  be  re- 
united with  their  souls,  and  arise  from  the  dead,  is  an  article 
of  faith  taught  by  the  Church,  and  believecj  by  the  faithful 
from  the  beginning. 

The  heretics  of  the  present  day  also  believe  this  truth, 
but  Infidels,  out  of  a  spirit  of  contradiction,  like  the  man 
who  used  to  button  his  coat  behind,  will  not  admit,  nor  lis- 
ten to  a  doctrine. 

We  will  therefore,  in  the  first  place,  show  that  the  resur- 
rection of  the  body  is  a  part  of  Revelation,  in  the  second, 
that  it  is  comformable  to  right  reason  ;  in  the  third,  we  will 
answer  some  objections  ;  and  in  the  fourth,  indulge  in  spec- 
ulations concerning  the  qualities  of  the  body  after  the 
reunion. 

Centuries  before  the  birth  of  Christ,  Job,  inspired  by  the 
Holy  Ghost,  gave  expression  to  his  belief,  in  the  follow- 
ing words  ; 

**  I  know,"  said  he,  "  that  my  Redeemer liveth;  and  on  the  last  day  I 
shall  rise  out  of  the  earth ;  and  I  shall  be  clothed  again  with  my  skin,  and 
in  my  flesh.  I  shall  see  my  God  ;  whom  I  myself  shall  see,  and  my  eyes^ 
shall  behold,  and  not  another;  this,  my  hope,  is  laid  up  in  my  bosom.*^ 
Job,  IX,  25,  27. 

Job  was  a  cotemporary  of  Moses,  as  is  generally  sup- 
posed, and  lived  about  fifteen  hundred  years  before  Christ. 

We  may  presume  that  in  the  above  quotation  he  expresses- 
not  only  his  own  belief,  but  also  that  of  his  time,  in  a  resur- 
rection. 

That  the  Jews,  who  lived  a  century  and  a  half  before  the 
Saviour's  birth,  were  in  a  like  manner  possessed  of  the  same 


ALETHAURION.  363 

hope,  we  have  proof  in  the  .second  book  Machabees,  xii,  43, 
where  it  is  stated  that  Judas  Macilabees,  after  one  of  his 
battles  with  the  army  of  King  Antiochus,  sent  money  to 
the  temple  at  Jerusalem,  to  have  sacrifices  offered  for  the 
sins  of  those  who  had  fallen  in  defense  of  their  faith  and 
country,  **thinking  well  and  religiously,''  says  the  scripture, 
•'concerning  the  resurrection." 

We  may  here  observe,  however,  that  about  one  hundred 
years  before  the  period  in  question,  there  sprang  into  exis- 
tence, among  the  Jews,  a  sect  called  the  Sadducees,  who 
denied  the  immortality  of  the  soul,  the  existence  of  angels, 
and  also  the  resurrection  of  the  body. 

The  Sadducees  were  never  very  numerous,  but  they  were 
rich,  and  for  the  most  part  office  holders. 

They  maintained  that  God  rewards  men  for  their  good 
deeds,  and  punishes  them  for  their  vices,  in  this  world.  And 
as  things  went  v^W  with  them  here,  they  esteemed  them- 
selves the  pickVnd  choice  fruit  in  the  Lord's  vineyard — his 
own  especial  pets  and  favorites. 

These  modern  writers  and  speakers,  who  measure  a 
nation's  sanctity  by  its  temporal  prosperity,  are  all  Saddu- 
cees in  principle.  Occasionally  they  may  come  in  contact 
with  the  Saviour.  And  it  was  they  who  proposed  that 
well-known  puzzle  of  the  woman  who  had  been  married  con- 
secutively to  the  seven  brothers. 

They  asked  whose  shall  she  be  in  the  resurrection  ? 

He  had  but  little  patience  with  such  malicious  blockheads. 
Hence  he  cut  them  off  short,  by  saying  that  the  mistake  was 
due  to  their  ignorance  of  scripture  and  the  power  of  God. 
Then  he  quoted  a  passage  from  the  Penteteuch,  the  only 
books  admitted  by  the  Sadducees,  to  show  that  there  would 
be  a  resurrection : 

*'Have  you  not  read,"  said  he,  ''  that  which  was  spoken  by  God,  say- 
ing to  you :  I  am  the  God  of  Abraham,  and  the  God  of  Isaac,  and  the 
God  of  Jacob.    He  is  not  the  God  of  the  dead,  but  of  the  living.*' 


364  ALETHAURION. 

The  Saviour,  in  arguing  with  his  opponents,  did  not  waste 
words,  but  often  confounded  them  by  a  single  question. 

The  Apostle  Paul  teaches  the  same  doctrine  in  all  those 
places  where  he  introduces  an  antithesis  between  the  sin  and 
death  we  inherit  from  Adaivi,  and  the  justification  and  life 
we  gain  through  Christ.  Now,  his  argument  would  not  be 
complete  without  the  resurrection  of  the  body.  Consult 
Eomans  v,  12-21;  Hebrews,  ix,  27-28;   1  Cor.,  xv,  20. 

He  also  warns  his  Disciple  Timothy,  w^hom  he  had  made 
Bishop  of  Ephesus,  to  beware  of  those  who  deny  the  future 
resurrection,  by  maintaining  that  it  has  already  taken  place, 
n  Tim.,  2,  16. 

The  same  is  also  clearl}^  laid  down  in  John,  v,  28 : 

"  Wonder  not  at  this,**  saj'S  the  Saviour,  "for  the  hour  cometh  wherein 
all  that  are  in  the  graves    shall  hear  the  voice  of  the    Son  of  God." 

It  is  quite  evident  that  reference  is  here  made  not  to  a 
spiritual,  but  to  a  corporal  resurrection  i  for  the  spirit  is  pre- 
sumed not  to  be  in  the  grave,  but  only  the  body. 

Thus  we  have  seen  that  the  resurrection  of  the  body  is  a 
revealed  truth.  It  cannot,  therefore,  contradict  reason, 
though  it  may  be  above  it. 

Three  of  the  most  ancient  Fathers  of  the  Church — 
Athexagorus,  Ireneus  and  Tertullian — have  spoken  of 
this  subject  in  such  a  way  that  but  little  more  remains  to  be 
said. 

We  shall  here  only  give  the  reasoning  of  Tertullian,  as 
it  includes  that  of  the  other  two.  In  his  book  {de  Resurrec- 
tione  Carnis)  he  treats  the  subject  in  the  following  masterly 
way.  We,  of  course,  do  not  pretend  to  give  anything  more 
than  a  synopsis. 

His  first  argument  is  this:  The  flesh  or  body  is  v^orthy 
of  a  resurrection,  therefore  it  will  arise.  He  proves  its 
worthiness. 

Firsts  because  the  body  was  created  by  God  to  the  image 
of  His  Son,  who  was  to  come 


ALETHAURION.  365 

iSecoiid,  the  body  is  worthy,  because  it  is  the  casket  of 
the  soul  created  to  the  image  of  God. 

Thinly  the  body  is  the  companion  and  partner  of  the 
soul,  whether  in  virtue  or  in  sin,  hence  it  ought  to  be  a 
sharer  of  its  glory  or  pain. 

Fourth^  the  body  is  worthy,  because  through  it  the  soul 
receives  the  graces  of  the  Sacraments,  practices  the  Christian, 
virtues,  and  gains  the  crown  of  martyrdom. 

Tertullian's  second  argument  may  be  expressed  as  fol- 
lows :  God  can  cause  the  body  to  rise  again,  and  as  it  is 
worthy,  therefore  He  will  raise  it  to  life.  That  God  can 
cause  the  body  to  rise,  will  not  be  questioned,  since  he  cre- 
ated it;  and  it  is  no  more  difficult  to  resurrect  than  to 
create. 

His  third  argument  is  that  the  whole  man  ought  to  appear 
before  God  to  be  judged,  as  it  was  the  whole  man  that  lived 
here  on  earth. 

In  the  fourth  and  last  place  he  argues  that,  inasmuch 
as  Christ  died  for  man,  he  will  save  not  only  his  soul,  but 
also  his  body.  For  Christ  came  to  restore  all  that  Ada3I 
had  lost.  And,  as  in  the  first  Ada3i,  we  lose  the  life  of 
the  body,  so  in  the  second  we  regain  it. 

These  form  the  principal  arguments,  dra^vn  from  reason, 
for  the  resurrection  of  the  body,  and  certainly  no  better 
ones  are  known  to  the  wi'iter. 

Let  us  now  take  up  a  few  objections.  They  may  be 
reduced  to  two  principal  ones. 

First :  Take  the  case  of  a  cannibal,  or  man-eating  savage, 
who  has  fed  for  a  dozen  years  on  **long  pig."  At  the 
resurrection,  how  will  those  w^ho  were  eaten  get  back  the 
substance  of  their  bodies  from  the  Cannibal,  since,  by  a  pro- 
cess of  nature,  it  has  become  a  part  of  his  body?  In  other 
words,  which  of  them  will  rise  with  the  flesh  that  was 
eaten  ? 

Secondly:  It  has  ])een  demonstrated  that  there  is  a  total 
change  in  the  human  system  every  seven  years,  so  that  there 


366  ALETHAURION. 

is  not,  except  by  accident,  one  particle  now  in  our  composi- 
tion that  was  there  seven  years  ago. 

Take  then  a  man  w^ho  has  dei^arted  this  life  at  the  age  of 
foi"ty-nine.  Such  a  one  evidently  had  in  this  life  seven  dif- 
ferent bodies.  Which  of  these  will  he  have  at  the  resurrec- 
tion? Or  will  he  arise  with  all  seven,  and  so  j^resent  before 
the  judgment  seat  the  appearance  of  a  man  who  had  been 
brought  up  on  beer  and  w^hale-blubber  ? 

These  are  tart  questions,  but  we  shall  attempt  to  answ^er 
them.  Let  us  suppose  the  Cannibal  spoken  of  ate  his  man 
just  seven  years  ago  ;  it  is  then  evident  that  Mr.  Loxgpig 
could  now  arise  with  the  same  body  he  had  wiien  eaten,  as 
not  a  particle  of  it  is  to  be  found  in  the  savage. 

Again,  suppose  the  cannibal  had  died  one  month  after 
ha\dng  eaten  Loxgpig,  then  he  (Loxgpig)  could  arise  with 
the  body  he  had  seven  years  previous  to  his  capture,  and 
still  it  would  be  the  same  body  he  had  in  this  life. 

A  little  more  difficult  case  is  the  following:  Suppose  a 
young  cannibal,  six  years  of  age,  should  eat  Loxgpig'ssou, 
also  of  six  years,  and  die  of  the  meal;  it  is  evident,  in  this 
case,  that  neither  could  take  the  body  he  had  seven  years 
before. 

This  case,  how^ever,  w^hen  looked  closely  into,  does  not 
present  as  much  difficulty  as  at  first  sight.  If  the  essence 
of  the  human  body  consisted  in  its  retaining  always  the  same 
molecules  or  particles  of  matter,  then  indeed  there  w^ould  be 
a  difficulty,  for  the  same  molecules  have  evidently  formed 
part  of  tw^o  distinct  human  beings;  but,  change  of  substance 
in  the  human  body  no  more  destroys  its  essence,  than  change 
of  w^ater  does  that  of  a  pond. 

Hence,  God  could  supply  extraneous  particles  w^here  there 
was  a  deficiency,  without  in  the  least  affecting  the  identity 
of  a  given  body.  The  reader  will  not  admit  that  he  has  lost 
his  identity  within  the  past  seven  years,  even  though  there 
has  in  that  time  taken  place  a  total  change  in  the  particles 
that  make  up  his  body. 


ALETHAURION.  367 

The  stamen  originale^  as  philosophers  call  it,  is  still  tho 
•same.  Moreover,  personal  identity  principally  consists  in 
the  interior  sentiment,  which  renders  testimony  to  us  that 
we  are  the  same  persons  now  we  were  seven  years  ago,  or 
from  infancy. 

We  defer  until  the  next  chapter  some  speculations  on  the 
qualities  the  body  will  possess  after  it  has  risen. 


CHAPTER  LXXXVII. 


TBT    tHARACTER   AND    QUALITIES  OF  THE  BODY  AFTER  HAVING 
ARISEN   FROM   THE    DEAD. 

Having  shown  that  the  body  will  surely  arise  on  the  last 
day,  we  now  come  to  examine  into  its  character,  and  to  specu- 
late on  the  qualities  it  will  possess. 

First  of  all,  it  may  be  laid  down  as  certain  that  men  will 
rise  immortal. 

The  necessity  of  dying  came  by  the  sin  of  Adam.  But 
Christ,  by  His  passion,  restores  to  us  all  that  we  lost  through 
the  first  man. 

Hence,  at  the  resurrection  of  the  just,  it  will  be  as  if  Adam 
had  never  sinned.  The  defects  in  nature,  caused  by  his  fall, 
will  be  repaired. 

The  death  of  Christ  destroys  death ;  at  present  in  its 
cause,  and  hereafter  in  act.  **0  death*,  I  will  be  thy  death," 
Osee,  xiii,  14.  **And  the  enemy  death  shall  be  destroyed 
last."  I  Cor.,  x^^  26.  <*Christ,  rising  again  from  the 
dead,  dieth  now  no  more."     Romans,  vi,  9. 

His  resurrection  is  the  type  of  what  ours  will  be.  If  men 
died  again  after  the  resurrection,  it  could  not  be  said  with 
truth  that  Christ  conquered  death.  But  he  has  triumphed 
•over  it.  At  the  resurrection  men  will  rise  with  the  proper 
proportions. 

And  the  Great  Sculptor,  who  chiseled  to  perfection  the  first 


368  ALETH  AURION . 

man,  will  remedy  the  defects  of  nature  in  His  descendants. 
What  a  consolation  this  to  the  decrepid  and  time-worn  of 
our  race,  who  have  outlived  youth  and  its  charms,  to  know 
that  they  will  again  be  made  as  good  as  new ;  that  long  lo.<t 
teeth  will  be  restored,  wrinkles  and  crows'  feet  smoothed 
away  forever,  and  raven  tresses  take  the  place  of  dyed  hemp 
and  scanty  locks  !  It  will  be  a  great  day  for  the  ladies 
Yea,  verily. 

After  the  resurrection  there  will  be  no  further  need  of 
food  nor  drink,  neither  shall  there  be  marrying  nor  giving  in 
marriage. 

The  former  are  necessary  now  to  counteract  the  waste  con- 
tinually taking  place  in  the  human  system.  But,  in  the 
resurrection,  men  will  arise  with  incorruptible  bodies,  and 
the  proper  quantity  of  matter  to  each,  incapable  of  increase 
or  diminution  thereafter. 

"It  is  sown  an  animal  body,  it  shall  rise  a  spiritual  body," 
says  St.  Paul,  I  Cor.,  v,  44.  As  food  and  drink  sustain 
animal  life  here',  thus  shall  the  immortal  spirit  keep  the 
body  in  everlasting  youth  hereafter. 

So  also  in  this  life,  as  individuals  die,  marrying  and  being 
given  in  marriage  is  a  necessity  to  prevent  the  extinction  of 
the  species. 

But  in  the  future  life,  the  individual  being  free  from 
death,  the  species  cannot  become  extinct,  and  hence  there 
will  no  longer  be  a  necessity  for  the  nuptial  tie. 

There  will  be,  however,  a  distinction  of  sex  in  those  who 
arise,  for  this  is  one  of  the  essentials.  Some  have  thought 
otherwise,  but  their  opinion  appears  to  have  but  little  or  no 
foundation. 

It  troubles  many  curious  people  to  know  whether  negi'oes 
will  rise  black  and  greasy,  as  in  this  life.  While  we  do  not 
approve  of  the  spirit  in  which  such  questions  are  generally 
asked,  still  it  may  interest  the  reader  that  we  give  our  views 
on  the  subject. 

First  of  all,  it  is  well  to  bear  in  mind  that  he  whom  God 


ALETHAUBION.  369 

judges  worthy  of  a  place  in  heaven,  "will  be  fit  company  for 
all  he  finds  there  before  him,  or  may  come  after — even 
though  his  pelt  were  as  tar. 

The  writer,  however,  does  not  think  that  those  of  the  race 
of  Ham,  who  shall  have  the  good  fortune  to  be  with  the  just, 
will  rise  with  those  defects  of  feature  and  color  which  are 
here  obseiwable. 

It  is  a  doctrine  of  our  holy  faith  that  all  men  have  a  com- 
mon origin  and  a  common  destiny.  Whatever  defects  have 
in  the  course  of  ages  been  produced  by  climate  and  mode  of 
life,  or  by  freak  of  nature,  will,  at  the  resurrection,  be 
properly  remedied.  A  black  skin,  flat  nose,  and  lips 
out  of  proportion,  we  scarcely  think  were  in  the  original 
contract. 

There  is  no  more  reason  why  an  African,  whose  ancestors, 
for  generations,  lived  exposed  to  a  torrid  sun,  should  rise 
black,  than  that  an  American  gentleman,  who  has  spent  his 
days  in  carousing  and  drinking  bad  whiskey,  should  rise 
with  a  red  face,  and  a  nose  set  Avith  carbuncles. 

Persons  who  live  condemned  in  subterranean  dungeons, 
acquire  an  unnatural  paleness  and  a  sickly  hue.  Are  we  to 
suppose  that  such  will  also  be  their  color  in  the  day  of 
resurrection?  It  does  not  look  reasonable  that  it  should 
be  so. 

The  probability,  therefore,  is  that  whatever  was  Adam's 
color  before  the  fall,  such  will  also  be  that  of  risen  men. 
And  as  to  those  defects  of  form  and  feature,  which  we  now 
observe  in  some,  they  will  be  remedied  by  the  brash  and 
chisel  of  the  Great  Architect. 

Hunchbacks  will  be  straightened,  dwarfs  lengthened, 
giants  shortened,  bloats  tapped,  and  cross-eyed  ladies 
remodeled.  Possibly  the  just  will  have  the  power  of  assum- 
ing, at  pleasure,  whatever  features  or  shape  they  choose. 

We  read  in  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles  how  two  Disciples,  on 
their  way  to  Emaus,  met  the  Saviour,  and  yet  did  not  recog- 
nize Him,  though  His  earthly  form  and  ex|)ression  of  coun- 
tenaiK  0  niu>t  have  been  familiar.    He  had  evidently  changed. 


I 


370  ALETH  AURION . 

for  the  time  being,  His  appearance,  yet  retained  His 
identity. 

Let  not  those  who  are  homely,  therefore,  murmur  at  their 
lot ;  nor  those  who  have  had  the  small-pox  bewail  with  too 
many  tears  the  loss  of  their  beauty. 

Time  will  make  all  things  even.  It  will  be  all  the  same 
one  hundred  years  from  now.  But  let  those  who  love  beauty 
of  form  so  live  as  to  deserve  it.  Now  it  is  a  gift,  then  it  will 
be  the  reward  of  merit.  Goodness  and  beauty,  which  are 
here  separable,  will  be  there  combined,  and  the  extent  of 
the  one  will  be  the  measure  of  the  other. 

Another  quality  that  the  just  will  possess,  after  the  resur- 
rection, will  be  that  of  agility,  by  which  the  body  will  be 
entirely  under  the  control  of  the  spirit. 

At  present  we  possess  it  to  a  limited  extent,  for  the  body 
here  obeys  the  soul,  and  walks  or  lies  at  rest  as  the  spirit 
directs. 

Nevertheless,  all  our  actions  now  are  accompanied  with 
fatigue.  After  the  reunion  we  will  have  the  power  of  pass- 
ing from  place  to  place  with  the  quickness  of  thought.  Our 
bodies,  as  St.  Paul  says,  will  be  spiritual,  that  is,  entirely 
under  the  control  of  the  spirit,  and  obedient  to  its  behests. 

From  what  has  been  said  thus  far,  it  will  not  be  difficult 
to  surmise  at  what  age  men  will  rise  from  the  tomb.  It  will 
be  at  that  period  of  life  when  there  is  the  greatest  vigor  of 
mind  and  body. 

Christ  in  this,  as  in  all  things  else  that  are  good  and 
glorious,  is  the  model.  His  resurrection  is  the  pattern  of 
what  ours  will  be.  And  as  He  arose  about  the  age  of  thirty- 
three  years,  so  shall  the  just. 

The  aged  will  leave  discreptitude  in  the  grave,  and  appear 
again  hi  the  prime  of  manhood.  Infants,  snatched  by  death 
from  the  arms  of  weeping  mothers,  will  present  themselves 
once  more  in  the  flesh,  not  the  helpless  things  they  were, 
but  in  the  bloom  and  vigor  of  youth,  with  bodies  and 
minds  such  as  they  would  have  had  if  length  of  days  had 
been  granted. 


ALETHAURION.  371 

There  are  many  useless,  vain  and  idle  questions  that  here 
present  themselves.  As,  for  example,  what  will  be  the 
length  of  the  hair,  beard  and  nails,  at  the  resurrection; 
whether  the  heart  will  beat,  and  the  blood  continue  to  circu- 
late as  now;  whether  our  knowledge  of  surrounding  things 
will  be  gained  through  the  senses,  or  in  some  other  way. 

To  such  questions  we  may  answer,  in  general  terms,  that 
men  will  rise  with  the  same  bodies,  and  with  all  their  essen- 
tial parts  and  actions.  • 

Hence,  that  the  heart  will  beat ;  that  the  blood  will  circu- 
late through  the  veins  and  arteries ;  that  the  eyes  will  see, 
the  ears  hear,  etc.,  appear  credible.  As  to  the  length  of  the 
hair,  beard  and  nails,  we  may  answer  that  the  sacred  human- 
ity of  our  Lord  furnishes  us  the  example  l)y  which  to  form  a 
judgment. 

We  are  not  to  presume  that  Mynheer  Stehrexfluter 
will  take  his  seventy-five  inches  of  beard  with  him  to  Para- 
dise, for  his  was  an  abnormal  growth.  Neither  should  we 
suppose  that  he  will  appear  shaved  and  powdered  amidst  the 
Cherub  ims. 

The  reunion  of  the  soul  and  body  will  be  instantaneous, 
and  vriW  take  place  here  on  the  surface  of  the  earth.  No 
sooner  vdW  the  archangel  have  pronounced  the  words,  **arise 
ye  dead,  and  come  to  judgment,"  than  by  the  almighty 
power  of  God  the  elements  that  have  composed  the  bodies 
of  all  men  since  Adam,  will  be  drawn  together  from  the 
four  winds,  and  each  soul  will  repossess  its  earthly 
mansion. 

Christ  will  then  appear  in  the  heavens,  seated  on  the 
throne  of  His  Majesty,  and  all  the  angels  with  Him.  The 
just  will  rise  to  meet  Him  in  the  air,  and  will  be  placed  at 
His  right  hand.  • 

Then  at  the  words,  **come,  ye  blessed  of  My  Father,  pos- 
sess the  kingdom  prepared  for  you  from  the  foundation  of 
the  world,"  their  ])odies  will  be  glorified,  and  they  will  shine 
like  stars  around  His  tbrone. 


372  ALETHAURION. 

The  reprobate,  with  bodies  also  immortal  and  incor- 
ruptible, but  not  changed,  will  remain  below  at  His  left, 
surrounded  by  demons.  And  at  the  words,  *' depart  from 
me,  accursed,"  a  mighty  whirlwind  will  come  from  the 
north  and  sweep  them,  body  and  soul,  into  the  dreary  abode 
of  the  damned;  and  the  separation  will  be  final. 

When  we  meditate  on  the  things  that  will  take  place  on 
that  awful  day,  how  vain  is  the* greatness  of  this  world,  and 
how  insufficient  and  unsatisfactory  any  success  that  is  not 
eternal.  *<What  doth  it  profit  a  man  if  he  gain  the  whole 
world,  and  lose  his  own  soul." 

Before  returning  to  the  life  and  times  of  St.  Paul,  we 
will  have  yet  a  few  more  words  on  magic. 

Our  next  will  be  on  divination. 


CHAPTER  LXXXYHI. 


DIVINATION,    OR   FORTUNE    TELLING. 

From  the  most  remote  times,  men  have  manifested  the 
desire  of  peering  into  the  future,  to  find  out,  before  the 
proper  time,  what  might  be  in  the  eternal  decrees. 

A  little  reflection  will  convince  us  that  such  curiosity, 
when  unlawful  means  are  employed,  is  not  only  absurd,  but 
sinful.  It  is  a  revolt  against  the  providence  of  God.  He 
has  willed  that  our  knowledge  liere  should  be,  as  it  is,  very 
limited,  in  order  that  w^e  might  feel  our  weakness,  and  at  all 
times  put  our  trust  in  Himself. 

If  more  light  had  been  necessary  or  useful,  God  would 
have  given  it.  He  has  revealed  of  the  future  all  that  it  is 
essential  we  should  know.  Our  present  duties  and  future 
destiny  are  plain ;  and  what  more  can  a  truly  rational  man 
desire  ? 

God  does  not  forbid  us  to  consult  Him,  should  we  wish  to 
know  more  than  He  has  granted,  in  the  ordinary  course  of 


ALETHAURION.  373 

His  providence.  The  patriarchs  of  the  Old  Law  foretold 
many  events  that  were  to  come ;  and  divers  saints,  since  the 
time  of  our  Lord,  have  had  the  gift  of  prophecy. 

But  to  have  recourse  to  divination,  which  consists  in  the 
employment  of  unlawful  means  to  discover  the  future.  He 
does  not  permit.     Levit.,  xix;   Deut.,  xviii. 

It  would  be  impossible,  may  be  undesirable,  to  point  out 
all  the  means  that  silly  people  make  use  of  to  determine 
what  is  to  come. 

But  we  may  allude  briefly  to  the  principal  ones.  Among 
the  most  important  w^s  judicial  astrology.  This  consisted  in 
examining  the  heavenly  bodies,  clouds,  meteors,  etc.,  and 
from  their  relative  positions,  at  a  given  instant,  drawing  con- 
clusions as  to  the  future  life  of  some  person,  or  the  ultimate 
consequences  of  a  notable  event. 

The  taking  of  such  an  observation  was  called  a  horoscope ; 
and  for  ages  implicit  faith  was  put  in  the  verdict  the  stars 
had  rendered. 

It  might  at  first  appear  that  \Wien  men  had  gained  a 
knowledge  of  even  the  first  principles  of  astronomy,  astrology 
would  have  ceased. 

Nevertheless,  the  ancient  Chaldeans,  who  were  skilled  in 
the  foimer  science,  were  also  the  most  superstitiously 
addicted  to  the  latter  practice. 

Nor  is  it  alone  in  primitive  and  Pagan  times  that  this 
absurdity  held  sway  over  the  minds  of  men. 

Louis  XHI,  of  France,  got  the  title  of  Just  solely  from 
the  fact  that  he  was  born  under  the  sign  of  the  balance ;  and 
at  the  birth  of  his  successor,  Louis  XIV,  the  baby's  horo- 
scope was  taken  with  the  greatest  possible  gravity  and 
circumstance. 

During  the  regency  of  ^Iaria  de  Medicis,  the  astrologers 
waxed  fat,  for  ladies  were  horoscoped  then  as  frequently  as 
they  are  now  photographed. 

Astrology  is  so  absurd,  on  the  face  of  it,  that  to  even  rid- 
icule it  would  be  lost  time.     And  yet,  even  in  our  dav,  there 


374  ALETHAURION. 

are  persons  who  profess  it,  and  others  silly  enough  to  en- 
courage the  deception  by  paying  the  deceivers. 

The  second  sort  of  divination  most  extensively  practiced 
among  the  ancients,  was  called  augury.  This  consisted  in 
observing  the  flight,  movements  or  cries  of  certain  birds,  and 
drawing  conclusions  respecting  the  future  therefrom.  It 
was  noticed  that  certain  ones  of  the  feathery  tribe  presaged 
good  weather  by  their  presence,  and  foretold  storms  of  wind 
and  rain  by  their  cries. 

Hence,  it  was  inferred  that  they  had  the  gift  of  prophecy. 
And  cunning  men  were  not  wanting,  who  professed  ability 
to  understand  their  language. 

Among  the  ancient  Romans,  no  affair  of  great  importance 
was  undertaken  without  consultino:  the  auijurs.  And  their 
decisions  were  regarded  with  superstitious  awe  by  the  vul- 
gar. 

At  the  capitol  there  was  kept,  at  the  public  expense,  a 
flock  of  sacred  geese,  that  played  a  very  considerable  part 
in  politics.  Their  cackling,  at  unwonted  times,  was  eagerly 
listened  to  by  the  augurs  ;  and  any  variation  of  the  manner 
in  which  a  holy  gander  flapped  his  wings,  or  cocked  up  his 
toes,  was  duly  discussed  and  recorded  for  future  reference. 

It  must  be  said,  however,  that  the  more  enlightened  had 
but  little  confidence  in  those  auguries.  Nevertheless,  the 
Roman  generals  before  engaging  in  battle,  were  careful  to 
let  it  be  known  to  the  soldiers,  that  all  the  signs  were  pro- 
pitious, and  that  they  would  certainly  gain  the  victory. 

The  augurs  helped  along  the  deception,  and,  if  results 
were  unsatisfactory,  there  was  never  any  difficulty  in  find- 
ing an  excuse. 

A  third  sort  of  divination,  was  that  made  from  an  inspec- 
tion of  the  gall  and  entrails  of  animals.  This  was  called  a 
hauruspice.  It  is  well-known  that  the'  salubrity  of  the  air 
and  the  quality  of  the  soil,  has  a  good  deal  to  do  with  the 
appearance  of  the  intestines  of  birds  and  beasts. 

But  superstition  could  not  let  the  matter  rest  at  that  pointy 


ALETHAURION.  375 

and  the  hauruspices  pretended  to  be  able  to  trace,  in  certain 
marks  on  th^  liver,  lights  and  gall,  of  a  victim,  the  course 
of  future  contingent  events. 

This  sort  of  divination  was  very  popular  with  the  herd,  for 
they  were  permitted  to  eat  of  the  flesh  of  the  victims,  and 
praise  the  gods  for  vouchsafing  such  comforts  to  men. 

It  is  still  practiced  by  some  old  women  ;  not  any  longer 
upon  the  entrails  of  birds  or  beasts,  as  of  yore,  but  upon  tea 
leaves  and  coffee-grounds.  And  these  also  find  people  fool- 
ish enough  to  encourage  deception  by  paying  for  it. 

A  fourth  species  of  divination  was  that  by  means  of  ora- 
cles. There  were  very  many  of  these  in  Pagan  times,  where 
the  gods  revealed  in  various  ways,  to  certain  chosen  souls, 
what  the  future  would  beget.  But,  celebrated  above  all 
others,  were  the  oracles  of  Delphos,  Dodona,  Trophonius 
and  Ammon. 

The  first  was  situated  at  the  foot  of  Mount  Parnassus,  in 
the  territory  of  Phocis,  in  Greece.  The  mountain  itself  was 
sacred  to  the  nine  muses,  and  the  oracle  to  the  prince  of 
muses,  Apollo. 

It  was  discovered  by  accident,  in  the  following  manner: 
Some  goats  that  fed  among  the  rocks  at  the  foot  of  the 
mount,  on  approaching  the  mouth  of  a  cave,  were  observed 
by  the  herdspian  to  be  affected  in  a  strange  way,  by  a  gas 
that  issued  therefrom. 

Approaching  the  mouth  of  the  chasm,  it  was  discovered 
that  men  were  also  influenced,  and,  while  under  its  power, 
spoke  in  an  incoherent  and  prophetic  strain.  It  was  not  long 
before  the  fame  of  Delphos  spread  far  and  wide. 

A  temple  was  erected  on  the  spot,  and  all  the  machinery 
of  Pagan  superstition  set  going.  At  first  any  one  who  in- 
haled the  vapor  prophesied.  J3ut,  in  course  of  time,  a  special 
priestess  was  consecrated  for  the  purpose. 

She  sat  on  a  tripod  over  the  mouth  of  the  cave,  when 
about  to  give  the  responses  of  Apollo.  The  prophets  who 
stood  around   received   her   words,  and,   having   arranged 


376  AT.ETHAURION. 

and  interpreted,  gave  them  to  inferior  ministers  to  put  in 
verse. 

Thus,  it  will  be  observed  that  there  was  here  a  fine  oppor- 
tunity open  to  rascality  and  manipulation. 

Possibly,  Satan  may  have  had  a  part  in  the  business,  and 
helped  to  give  life  and  expression  to  the  work. 

One  thing  is  certain,  that  some  of  those  responses  of  the 
Delphian  oracle  that  historians  have  handed  down,  are  mas- 
terpieces of  wit  and  cunning. 

Thus,  when  Crcesus,  King  of  Lydia,  consulted  the  oracle 
to  know  whether  he  would  be  successful  against  Cyrus,  the 
pythoness  answered,  that  "if  his  army  crossed  the  river 
Halys,  a  great  empire  would  be  destroyed."  Crcesus 
thought  his  enemy's  empire  was  meant,  but  it  was  his 
own. 

Pyrrhus,  King  of  Epirus,  wishing  to  engage  in  war  with 
the  Romans,  also  sought  advice  at  Delphos,  and  got  the  fol- 
lowing ambiguous  reply  in  Latin:  ^^Dico  te  ^^achide 
Itomanos  vincere  posse.''  I  tell  thee,  O  son  of  ^^achus,  the 
Romans  can  conquer  thee,  or  thou  canst  conquer  the  Ro- 
mans ;  it  will  translate  either  way. 

Crassus,  before  engaging  in  war  with  the  Parthians,  sent 
gifts  to  Delphos,  and  was  told:  ^^Ibis  et  redibis  nunquam 
perihis  in  hello.''  That  is,  you  will  go  and  return,  you  will 
never  perish  in  war ;  or,  you  will  go  and  never  return,  you 
will  perish  in  war.  Crassus  went  and  he  fell  by  the  treach- 
ery of  his  enemies. 

Our  next  will  be  a  continuation. 


CHAPTER  LXXXIX. 


ORACEES. 


In  the  last  chapter  we  spoke  of  the  celebrated  Delphian 
Oracle,  whose  priestess  gave  responses  so  neatly  worded, 
that,  whether  heads  or  tails  turned  up,  the  pro})hecy  would 


ALETHAURION.  877 

he  true.  The  demon  thus  concealed  his  ignorance  of  future 
contingent  events,  and  at  the  same  time  gave  satisfaction  to 
his  dupes. 

From  Delphos  let  us  pass  to  Dodona.  This  town  was  sit- 
uated in  Epirus,  one  of  the  states  of  ancient  Greece. 

The  oracle  at  Dodona  was  not  so  celebrated,  nor  so  rich 
as  the  Delphian  ;  but  it  had  the  honor  of  being  the  most 
ancient  in  the  land.     Herodotus,  book  I,  chap.  25. 

According  to  the  account  given  by  the  priestesses,  it  had 
its  origin  in  the  followino:  sinofular  manner  : 

One  day  two  black  doves  flew  away  from  the  city  of 
Thebes,  in  Egypt,  one  of  which  stopped  at  Libya,  but  the 
other  continued  its  fliofht  until  it  had  arrived  in  the  little 
village  above  named. 

There,  perched  among  the  branches  of  an  aged  oak  tree, 
it  pronounced,  with  a  clear  and  distinct  voice,  these  words : 
**Establish  ye  here  an  oracle  in  honor  of  Jupiter." 

The  people  were  justly  surprised  at  hearing  a  pigeon  talk, 
and  set  to  work  to  do  as  they  were  bidden. 

To  us  it  might  appear  that  this  black  dove  was  no  other 
than  an  angel,  sent  from  the  abyss  to  draw  the  people  into 
idolatry. 

Strabo,  however.  Sup.  VII,  tells  us  that,  in  the  language 
of  ancient  Epirus,  the  word  for  dove  meant  also  an  old 
woman. 

It  would  appear  therefore,  that,  instead  of  a  pigeon  it  was 
a  witch  from  the  banks  of  the  Nile,  who  first  introduced 
fortune-telling  at  Dodona. 

In  the  time  of  Herodotus,  three  priestesses  had  the  right 
to  announce  the  decisions  of  the  oracle.  But,  whenever  the 
Ba^otians  consulted  it,  they  received  Jupiter's  response 
through  a  servant.  None  of  the  priestesses  would  deign  a 
r^ply*  because  of  the  following  circumstance  : 

At  one  time,  when  about  to  engage  in  war,  they  made  in- 
quiries at  Dodona  as  to  the  result.  The  priestess  told  them 
that  if  they  desired  success,   **they  should  first  commit  an 


378      *  ALETHAURION, 

impiety" — ^.  e.,  take  the  sacred  tripods  of  gold  that  were  in 
their  temple,  and  23laee  them  in  that  of  Jupiter  at  Dodona. 

The  Boeotians,  though  not  quick-witted,  suspected  rog- 
uery. So  they  took  the  priestess  and  threw  her  in  the  fire, 
remarking  at  the  same  time  :  *' If  she  has  deceived  us  she 
merits  death  ;  and  if  she  has  told  the  truth,  we  obey  the 
oracle." 

Ever  after  the  priestesses  and  the  Boeotians  were  at 
variance. 

Future  events  were  revealed  to  those  ladies  in  many  ways. 
Sometimes  they  heard  the  voice  of  Jupiter  from  *  the 
branches  and  rustling  leaves  of  the  saci^pd  oak  that  stood 
near  the  temple. 

At  other  times  the  murmuring  of  a  brook  that  flowed 
throuo^h  the  orrove  made  known  what  was  to  be.  The  tinsr- 
ling  of  brazen  vessels  within  the  temple,  had  also  a  meaning 
to  the  witches'  ears,  as  the  clicking  of  the  instrument  has  for 
the  operator  at  the  telegraph  office. 

The  oracle  of  Dodona  was  also  consulted  by  means  of  lots 
drawn  from  an  urn.  The  Spartans,  at  one  time  took  this 
method  of  finding  out  what  would  be  the  result  of  an  expe- 
dition they  were  about  to  undertake.  But,  while  the  draw- 
ing was  going  on,  a  monkey  that  belonged  to  the  King  of 
the  Molassians,  jumped  on  the  table,  upset  the  urn  and  scat- 
tered the  lots. 

This  was  a  bad  omen,  and  the  priestess  told  the  ambassa- 
dors that  the  *' Spartans,  instead  of  dreaming  about  victories, 
should  begin  to  think  of  their  own  safety."  They  returned, 
and,  having  told  the  response,  never  before  was  there  such 
terror  among  a  people  so  celebrated  for  bravery.  Cicero 
de  divin.  tom.  3,  lib.  T,  cap.  34. 

*  The  third  of  the  great  Grecian  oracles  was  that  of  Tropho- 
nius,  which  was  in  an  immense  cave  near  the  village  of 
Lebadea,  in  Boeotia. 

Trophoxius  was  the  architect  of  the  temple  of  Apollo,  at 
Delphos,  and  having  done  a  good  job,  he  felt  warranted  in 


• 

ALETHAURION. 

asking  a 
would  be 

favor, 
granted 

Apollo 
in  seven 

made 
days, 

known 
at  the 

37i) 


that  his  request 
end  of  which  he 
died. 

It  leaked  out  after  his  exit,  that  he  and  his  brother, 
AcJAMEDES,  while  building  the  temple  had  made  a  secret 
passway  by  which  to  enter  at  night  and  steal  away  the  gifts. 
This  had  the  appearance  of  an  irregularity,  but  it  did  not 
prevent  his  countrymen  from  decreeing  him  divine  honors. 
The  existence  of  the  passway  was  explained,  on  the  suppo- 
sition that  Trophonius  wished  to  have  access  to  the  temple 
by  night — in  order  to  pray. 

Responses  were  sometimes  given  viva  voce  in  the  cave  at 
Lebadea.  But,  most  generally,  the  will  of  the  gods  was 
made  known  by  visions  of  fire.  So  terrible  were  these,  that 
the  person  who  had  seen  them  once,  was  never  the  same 
man  after.  Hence,  among  the  Greeks,  it  was  customary  to 
say  of  a  very  sad  individual,  that  he  had  escaped  from  the 
cave  of  Trophoxius.      Aristopanes,  Comedy  of  the  Clouds. 

^looRE,  in  the  Epicurean,  gives  a  fine  description  of  the 
terrors  of  one  of  those  prophetic  caves.  He  locates  it  in 
Egypt.  But,  as  the  Greeks  had  borrowed  most  of  their 
superstitions  from  the  sorcerers  of  the  Nile,  we  may  take 
what  he  says  as  a  description  of  the  gymnastics  and  terrors 
of  the  cave  of  Trophoxius. 

Along  with  the  three  already  named,  there  were  many 
other  oracles  in  Greece,  but  of  minor  importance. 

There  was  also  in  the  desert  of  Libya,  a  renowned  pro- 
phetic shrine,  dedicated  to  Jupiter  A^niox,  and  originally 
founded  by  one  of  those  black  pigeons  already  mentioned. 

About  the  time  Alexaxder  the  Great  took  possession  of 
Egypt,  an  overgrown  and  dogmatic  priestess  had  charge  of 
it,  and,  from  her  perch  on  a  tripod,  she  made  known  what 
the  fates,  had  ordained.  Alexaxder  wanted  to  have  his  for- 
tune told.  So,  with  some  of  his  officers,  he  went  to  the 
shrine  of  Ammox,  where  they  found  the  witch  in  her  palace 
not  far  from  the  temple. 


380  ALETHAURION. 

She  told  him  he  came  at  the  wrong  time,  and  that  he 
would  have  to  wait  two  or  three  days  before  an  answer  could 
be  given.  That  was  too  much  for  the  son  of  Philip,  and  his 
officers  seeing  him  on  the  point  of  boiling  over,  tried  to 
soften  the  witch,  first  by  coaxing,  then  by  gold,  and,  at  last, 
by  threats.     But  she  was  inflexible. 

By  this  time  Alexander  had  lost  patients,  and  going  up 
to  her,  said  he  :  **As  you  will  not  go  to  the  temple  by  mild 
means,  I'll  take  you  there." 

But  as  the  hero  went  floundering  along  under  his  weight 
of  prophecy,  the  witch  suddenly  ceased  to  struggle,  and,  in 
subdued  tones  she  gasped  :  **My  son,  thou  art  invincible." 
"That's  enough,"  said  Alexander,  as  he  loosened  his  grip 
and  drew  a  long-  breath.  *'Not  another  word — for  now  I 
know  that  thou  art  truly  inspired."  And  he  ordered  his 
purse  bearer  to  give  a  large  donation,  for  the  purpose  of 
keeping  so  holy  a  shrine  in  due  repair. 

In  the  next  chapter  we  will  treat  of  dreams. 


CHAPTER  XC. 


ON  THE   SUBJECT   OF   DREAMS. 

Most  men  sleep  away  nearly  one-half  their  lives.  And, 
if  a  person  wanted  to  act  contrary,  it  would  not  be  easy  to 
prove  to  him  that  he  is  not  asleep  and  dreaming,  also  the 
other  half. 

A  German  professor  once  thought  so,  and,  in  broad  day- 
light when  every  one  is  presumed  to  be  awake,  he  taught  his 
pupils  that  whatever  they  saw,  heard,  tasted  or  smelt,  had  no 
reality ;  that  our  visions  by  day  do  not  differ  from  our 
nightly  dreams. 

He  went  farther,  maintaining  there  was  no  other  being 
but  himself  in  existence.  And  himself  he  called  Das  Ich, 
or  the  great  I  am.      The  visible  universe,  and  the  changes 


ALETIIAURION.  381 

that  take  place  in  it,  the  professor  regarded  as  evolutions  of 
Das  Ich,  presented  by  itself  to  itself  for  contemplation. 

In  a  word,  our  philosopher  denied  all  objective  reality. 
The  scholars  used  to  listen  to  this  second  Solomox  with 
gaping  mouths,  though  they  found  it  difficult  to  see  the 
point,  or  understand  him. 

One  day,  however,  a  circumstance  occurred  which  they 
thought  would  have  sufficed  to  knock  his  subjectivity  higher 
than  a  kite. 

As  he  was  passing  home  through  an  alley,  a  couple  of 
mongrels  got  to  exchanging  civilities,  and  frightened  a  mule 
that  stood  hitched  to  a  swill  cart.  The  mule,  with  the  en- 
thusiasm to  a  recent  convert,  did  not  believe  m  the  profes- 
sor's objective  reality  and  ran  over  him. 

After  having  remained  at  the  hospital  for  a  month  or 
more,  under  medical  treatment,  he  returned  to  his  chair ; 
yet  spoke  of  the  accident  in  his  usual  way — as  an  evolu- 
tion of  Das  Ich  presented  by  itself,  for  its  own  contem- 
plation. 

But  the  students  thought  it  was  the  mule,  in  this  case, 
that  made  the  evolution,  and  left  Das  Ich  only  the  contem- 
plation of  it,  and  they  were  right. 

All  created  things  have  a  reality  with  regard  to  us,  and 
it  would  be  useless  to  attempt  to  persuade  ourselves  that  the 
objects  we  see  are  but  phantoms  of  the  brain.  Man's  inner- 
consciousness  upsets  all  such  philosophy.  But  if  the  Ger- 
man philosopher,  by  Das  Ich,  should  have  meant,  not  him- 
self, but  God,  then  we  confess  that  his  fancies  not  only  do 
not  deserve  ridicule,  but  are  worthy  of  admiration. 

Viewed  with  respect  to  God,  creation  has  not  an  objective 
reality,  for  '*  in  Him  we  live  and  we  move  and  we  are." 
Acts  xvii,  28. 

Pantheism  identifies  God  and  the  universe,  a  doc- 
trine which  cannot  be  admitted,  "^-ithout  falling  into 
many  absurdities.     The  universe  is   not   God,  neither  does 


382  ALETHAURION. 

it  exist  independent  of  Him.  It  is  the  dream  of  the  Omni- 
potent. 

But  let  us  drop  to  things  that  are  more  on  a  .level  with 
liuman  understanding.  The  dreams  of  men  are,  generally 
speaking,  nothing  more  than  the  wanderings  of  the  imagina- 
tion, unregulated  by  the  will,  memory  and  understanding. 

To  attempt  to  trace  them  up  to  their  cause,  would  neces- 
sitate a  paper  on  the  origin  of  ideas,  into  which  we  will  not 
enter  at  present. 

Along  with  those  that  spring  from  natural  causes,  there 
are  dreams  that  have  an  undoubted  supernatural  origin. 
Such  come  either  from  God,  or  His  angels,  or  from  the 
devil  and  his  imps.  The  former  are  sometimes  admonitory 
sometimes  prophetic,  but  the  latter  are  always  delusive. 

How  a  spirit  conveys  its  thought  to  one's  mind  while 
■asleep  is  a  mystery.  But  that  it  does  so,  cannot  be  ques- 
tioned. 

We  have  examples  in  scripture,  where  God,  either  directly 
or  by  the  ministry  of  angels,  made  known  to  the  dreamers 
what  was  to  happen  in  the  future,  or  else  warned  them 
against  present  danger.  Such  were  the  dreams  of  Joseph, 
Genesis,  xxxvii ;  of  Pharaoh,  Genesis,  xli ;  of  Nabuche- 
DONOSOR,  Dan.,  iv  ;  and  of  St.  Joseph,  Matt.,   ii,  13. 

Hence,  the  sweeping  assertion  sometimes  made  that  there 
is  nothing  in  dreams,  is  false  and  un scriptural.  We  must 
distinguish  and  discriminate. 

But,  when  God  sends  a  dream,  he  also  connects  with  it 
such  circumstances  and  motives  of  persuasion  that  the 
dreamer  cannot  doubt  that  it  is  of  a  supernatural  kind. 
And  without  this  interior  illumination,  it  would  be  sinful  to 
trust  them  or  make  them  motives  of  action  upon  our  part. 
Deuteronomy,  xviii,  10  ;  Jeremiah,  xxix,  8. 

To  place  confidence  in  dreams  is  also  forbidden  by  the 
Church  ;  and,  in  the  council  of  Paris,  held  A.  D.,  826,  the 
practice  was  declared  a  relic  of  Paganism. 

Some  of  the  ancient  Fathers,  such  as  Cyril,  of  Jerusalem, 


ALETIIAURION.  383 

Gregory,  of  Njssa,  and  Gregory  the  Great,  wrote  against  it. 

In  later  times,  John,  of  Salisbury,  Peter  de  Blois,  and 
others,  did  all  in  their  power  to  dissipate  the  error.  (See 
Thiers'  Treatise  on  Superstitions.) 

Here  some  one  may  ask,  what  harm  can  there  be  in  giving 
credit  to  dreams?  We  reply,  in  the  first  place,  the  fact 
alone  that  God,  through  His  authorized  agents,  the  piioph- 
ets  and  the  Church,  has  forbidden  it,  is  reason  and  motive 
enough  to  convince  us  there  is  danger  in  the  practice. 

He  has  established  on  earth  a  society  with  power  and 
authority  to  speak  in  His  name  ;  audit  is  from  it'He  wishes 
men  to  learn  His  will.  He  furnishes  us  with  the  means  in 
abundance  to  gain  all  that  is  essential  to  our  future  safety. 

But  that  a  mere  atom  should  expect  Him  to  deviate  from 
the  ordinary  course  of  His  providence,  to  satisfy  a  mere 
whim,  or  an  idle  curiosity,  would  be  the  height  of  presump- 
tion. 

Human  society  despises  the  mere  fortune  teller,  and  that 
individual  has  but  a  degraded  notion  of  the  Divinity  who 
would  conceiv^e  Him  as  whispering  in  one's  ear  at  night  the 
events  of  the  following  day.  Nevertheless,  we  must  not 
overlook  nor  affect  to  despise  facts. 

Now,  it  has  happened  to  multitudes  of  persons  to  have 
had  dreams  that  were  literally  fulfilled,  and  many  others 
have  had  such  as  might  be  regarded  very  strange,  indeed  ; 
the  events  which  followed  being  taken  into  consideration. 

The  writer  knows  a  man  who,  some  few  days  before  the 
death  of  the  late  illustrious  and  lamented  Pius  IX,  had  a 
somewhat  remarkable  experience  in  the  land  of  Morpheus. 
It  was  night,  and,  turning  his  gaze  upwards  to  the  sky,  he 
saw,  at  an  angle  of  about  forty-five  degrees  to  the  north- 
east, a  cluster  of  stars,  one  of  which  was  larger  and  shone 
brighter  than  the  rest. 

While  looking  at  this  constellation,  lo  and  behold,  that 
star  which  was  the  brightest  shot  downwards  through  the 
sky,  until  it  struck  the  earth.     WTien  the   star   had  fallen, 


384  ALETHAURIOX. 

there  was  a  silence  as  of  a  few  seconds,  and  then  a  murmur 
of  many  voices.  But  no  sooner  had  it  touched  the  earth, 
than  a  lisrht  similar  to  that  from  a  burnino:  house,  seen  at  a 
distance,  arose  ;  and  the  report  by  some  means  reached  his 
ear  that  a  great  fire  had  broken  out. 

Many  rushed  to  the  place  to  see  the  conflagration,  and 
the  dreamer  himself  had  gotten  part  of  the  way,  when  he 
met  others  returning,  who  reported  it  was  a  false  alarm. 
Such  was  the  dream ;  and  time  appears  to  have  already 
given  the  interpretation  thereof. 

Yet,  it  was  probably  only  a  mere  coincidence ;  and,  at 
any  rate  is  too  indefinite.  AVe  must  fall  back  on  those 
which  persons  worthy  of  belief,  relate  as  having  been  ful- 
filled in  all  their  particulars. 

To  what  cause  are  we  to  attribute  them  ?  Mere  chance 
will  not  explain  the  mystery.  Without  being  compelled  to 
have  recourse  to  the  first  and  efficient  cause  of  all  thino^s, 
which  is  God,  we  may  possibly  find  a  solution  in  the  fact 
that  there  are  in  the  spirit  world  beings,  both  bad  and  good, 
with  discretionary  powers  analogous  to  those  we  possess 
with  respect  to  one  another. 

A  man  of  strong  mind  and  keen  intellect  can,  for  reasons 
known  to  himself,  by  lying  and  misrepresentation,  draw  a 
weaker  soul  into  an  enterprise  that  will  certainly  prove  dis- 
astrous, and  God  will  not  at  all  times  interfere  to  prevent 
the  evil. 

So,  also,  the  demon,  who  has  a  discretionary  power,  and 
from  all  we  can  learn,  an  intelligence  far  superior  to  ours, 
may  present  in  a  dream,  things  that  he  knows  are  about  to 
happen,  in  order  thereby  to  gain  the  confidence  of  the 
dreamer,  and  lead  him  astray  on  some  future  occasion. 

It  would  please  Satan  to  find  a  man  whose  actions, 
while  awake,  were  governed  by  visions  had  in  slumber. 
Such  a  one  would  be  a  very  effective   weapon  in   his  hands. 

But,  says  some  one,  Satan  himself  does  not  know  the 
future,  how  then  could  he  reveal   it  in  a  dream?  Very  true, 


ALETIIAURION.  385 

he  does  not  know  it  as  God  does.  But  with  his  knowledge 
of  the  laws  of  nature,  of  cause  and  effect,  and  of  circum- 
stances that  his  intended  victim  knows  nothing  about,  he  is 
capable  of  making  a  shrewd  guess — especially  in  regard  to 
things  not  a  long  way  off. 

Take  the  case  of  a  king,  about  to  engage  in  war  with  an- 
other. Satan  knows  the  valor  of  his  soldiers,  the  resources 
of  the  kingdom,  the  counsels  of  the  enemy,  where  battles 
will  take  place,  the  strength  of  positions,  the  skill  of  gene- 
rals, and  the  efficiency  of  the  arms  used  on  both  sides. 
Thus,  by  putting  this  and  that  together,  he  could,  if  he 
would,  inform   such  a  potentate  what  the  result  would  be. 

Hence,  the  Church  wisely  warns  all  her  children  to  place 
no  trust  in  dreams.  They  are  not  the  means  appointed  by 
God  to  discover  to  us  either  our  duty  or  our  destiny. 

We  do  not  mean  to  deny  that  the  good  angels,  who  also 
have  a  discretionary  power,  may  warn  men  of  impending  dan- 
ger, or  give  them  a  glimpse  of  things  to  happen. 

But  any  dream  or  presentiment  that  does  not  tend  to 
make  a  man  repent  of  his  sins  and  love  God  the  more,  is  to 
be  despised  or  mistrusted. 

Our  next  will  be  concerning  those  besieged  or  possessed 
by  Sat AX. 


CHAPTER  XCI. 


concerning   those     TmVT   are    possessed    or   besieged     liV 

THE   devil. 

Every  time  a  man  falls  into  mortal  sin,  Satan  takes  a 
mortgage  on  him,  at  full  value.  He  is,  for  the  time,  condi- 
tional owner,  and  when  death  comes  he  forecloses  and  takes 
complete  possession. 

Some  there  are,  who  avail  themselves  of  the  advantaire  of 
the  bankrupt  act,  and  leave  Satan  in  the  lurch.     By  virtue 


386  ALETHAURION. 

of  an  excellent  homestead  law,  recognized  in  the  court 
above,  no  adverse  power  can  gain  entire  dominion  over 
man's  immortal  part  while  he  lives. 

And  all  such  claims  may,  by  taking  the  proper  steps,  be 
wiped  out  for  good.  But  it  is  safer  not  to  incur  them,  for, 
if  not  cancelled  within  a  definite  but  to  us  unknown  period, 
the  mortgagee  w^ill  appear — and  he  will  raise  ructions. 

We  do  not,  however,  at  present,  propose  to  discuss  these 
sorts  of  claims.  We  leave  them  to  the  pulpit,  and  to  that 
sacred  tribunal  to  which  they  belong. 

Our  business  is  w^ith  another  and  not  so  serious  a  matter. 
It  is  a  case  of  tenantry,  that  demands  our  attention.  That 
the  body  of  each  man  is  the  abode  of  a  spirit,  which  we  call 
his  soul,  is  generally  admitted. 

But  that,  along  w^iththe  soul,  one  or  two  devils  may  reside 
within  a  man's  body,  is  denied  by  not  a  few.  We  Catholics 
maintain  that  such  a  thing  is  possible,  and  our  belief  is 
founded  on  Scripture  and  the  teaching  of  the  Church. 

Infidels  do  not  admit  demoniacal  possession  in  the  strict 
sense,  and  Protestants,  for  the  most  part  side  w^ith  them,  in 
attempting  to  ridicule  exorcisms  to  expel  the  spirit.  Let  us 
take  a  few  texts  of  Scripture,  and  with  them  confound  our 
adversaries. 

In  Matthew   xii,  we  read  that   when  the  Jews   accused 

Christ  of  casting  out  devils  by  the  power  of  Beelzebub,  he 

replied  : 

*' Every  kingdom  divided  against  itself  shall  be  made  desolate ;  and 
«very  city  or  house  divided  against  itself  shall  not  stand.  And  if  Satan 
cast  out  Satan,  he  is  divided  against  himself.  How  then  can  his  kingdom 
stand?  ♦  *  *  ♦  "When  an  unclean  spirit  is  gone  out  of  a  man? 
he  walketh  through  dry  places,  seeking  rest  and  finding  none.  Then  he 
sayeth :  I  will  return  into  my  house  from  whence  I  came  out.  And  com- 
ing he  findeth  it  empty,  swept  and  garnished.  Then  he  goeth  and  taketh 
with  him  seven  other  spirits,  more  wicked  than  himself,  and  they  enter  in 
and  dwell  there,  and  the  last  state  of  that  man  is  made  worse  than  the 
first." 

Now,  let  it  be  observed,  that  the  Jews,  both  before  and 

during  pur  Saviour's  time,  believed  in  demoniacal  possession  ; 


ALETHAURION.  387 

they  even  bad  exorcisms,  or  prayers,  said  to  have  been 
written  by  King  Solomon,  for  the  purpose  of  expelling  the 
evil  spirit.     Antiquities,  viii,  2-5. 

If  they  were  wrong,  why  did  Christ  confirm  them  in 
error?  It  will  be  seen  from  the  quotation  that  He  certainly 
did  so.  Not  only  does  He  admit  that  Satan  may  enter  into 
and  live  in  a  man  ;  He  goes  further :  He  founds  an  argu- 
ment in  proof  of  His  Divine  mission,  on  the  fact  that  He 
had  the  power  of  casting  him  out. 

Far  from  condemning  the  popular  belief.  He  strengthens 
it,  by  giving  to  His  Apostles  power  over  unclean  spirits  ; 
which  He  distiniruishes  from  that  of  curinor  diseases.  Luke 
ix,  1. 

Are  we  to  presume  that  the  Saviour  would  have  given 
them  ability  to  remedy  an  evil  that  had  no  existence  ?  As 
well  might  a  physician  give  medicine  to  chickens  to  cure  the 
tooth-ache. 

It  is  needless  to  say  that  the  Apostles  and  Disciples  exer- 
cised, under  proper  circumstances,  the  virtues  received. 

'*  Lord,"  said  they,  **the  devils  also  are  subject  to  us  in 
thy  name."  Luke  x,  17.  Let  us  take  an  example.  "We 
read.  Acts  xvi,  that  one  day  as  St.  Paul  and  his  compan- 
ion were  passing  through  the  streets  of  Phillipi,  a  girl,  pos- 
sessed with  a  pythonical  spirit  followed  them,  crying  out 
and  saying :  **  These  men  are  the  servants  of  the  most 
high  God,  who  show  you  the  way  to  salvation." 

This  was  done  for  several  days,  and,  Paul  knowing  it 
was  not  the  girl,  but  the  devil  within  her,  that  spoke,  turned 
and  said  to  the  spirit:  **  I  command  thee,  in  the  name  of 
Jesus  Christ,  to  go  out  of  her."  And  he  went,  that  same 
hour. 

It  appears  also  that  this  damsel  brought  considerable  gain 
to  her  owners,  by  fortune-telling,  and  these,  seeing  all  fur- 
ther hope  nipped  in  the  bud,  became  enraged  against  Palx 
and  Silas,  and  got  them  publicly  whipped   on  the  pretext 


388  AT.ETHAURION. 

that  they  were  disturbing  the  city,  and  teaching  what  no 
Roman  gentleman  ought  to  give  ear  to. 

Here,  the  circumstances  of  the  case  plainly  show  that  the 
girl  was  possessed.  For  if  it  had  been  mere  trickery  upon 
her  part,  or  upon  that  of  her  masters,  there  would  have  been 
no  occasion  for  anoer  at  Paul. 

He  simply  told  her  to  shut  her  mouth.  The  motives  that 
could  have  induced  Satan  to  render  testimony  in  favor  of 
the  truth  we  shall  attempt  to  diagnose  in  a  future  number. 

Another  celebrated  case  of  demoniacal  possession,  is  that 
found  in  Luke  viii.  This  man,  who  used  to  tear  off  his  gar- 
ments and  break  chains  and  fetters  of  iron,  lived  in  tombs 
and  solitary  places. 

The  Saviour,  having  met  him,  commanded  the  legion  of 
devils,  by  which  he  was  possessed,  to  go  out  of  him.  They 
obeyed,  but  were  permitted  to  enter  a  drove  of  swine  that 
were  feeding  at  some  distance.  And  scarcely  had  this  been 
done,  when  every  single  hog  dashed  off  toward  a  precipice » 
and,  rushing  headlong,  perished  in  the  sea. 

Infidels  explain  away  all  such  cases  by  attributing  them  to 
epilepsy,  catalepsy,  hysteria,  or  some  nervous  complaint. 
But  how  several  hundred  hogs  could  have  taken  such  a  freak, 
and  so  suddenly,  they  do  not  make  clear. 

The  Fathers  of  the  first  four  centuries  also  bear  testimony 
to  the  fact  that,  by  the  exorcisms  of  the  Church,  devils  were 
expelled  from  many.  And  those  same  impure  spirits  were 
forced  to  acknowledge  their  real  character. 

The  Fathers  speak  of  facts  known  to  the  public,  and  chal-* 
lenge  the  Pagans  to  disprove  them.  Indeed,  most  of 
those  who  had  been  possessed  were  not  believers,  and  were 
converted  to  the  faith  on  seeing  the  miracles  that  had  been 
wrought  upon  themselves. 

Paulinus,  in  his  life  of  St.  Felix,  of  Nola,  relates  that 
he  once  witnesssed  a  man  who  was  possessed,  walk  against 
the  ceiling  of  a  church,  with  his  head  down,  and  that  this 


ALETHAURION.  889 

same  individual  was  afterwards  cured  at  the  tomb  of  St. 
Felix. 

SuLPiTius  SE^'ERUS,  Dialogue,  iii,  6,  says:  **  I  saw  one 
possessed,  raised  in  the  air,  with  his  arms  extended,  on  the 
approach  of  the  relics  of  St.  Martin.''  To  these  we  may 
add  some  others. 

Ferxal,  physician  to  Henry  II,  and  Ambrose  Pare,  a 
Protestant,  mention  a  demoniac  who  spoke  Greek  and  Latin, 
thoufi^h  he  had  never  learned  either. 

For  other  examples  see  Cud  worth's  Intellectual  System 
chap.  V,  82. 

There  seems  to  be  no  good  reason  for  denying  that  those 
clairvoyants,  mediums  and  fortune-tellers  we  have  at  the 
present  day,  are  persons  possessed  by  the  devil.  We  don't 
mean  to  say  that  all  who  pretend  to  be  mediums,  and  to  tell 
fortunes,  have  direct  dealings  with  him.  Satan,  like  the 
proud  gentleman  that  he  is,  chooses  his  company,  and  not  a 
few  of  these  mediums  and  fortune-tellers  are  so  low  and 
worthless,  that  even  he  gives  them  the  cold  shoulder. 

Epileptics  and  cataleptics  may  also,  with  some  reason,  be 
placed  on  the  same  list.  The  doctors  know  but  little  about 
these  diseases,  which  they  ascribe  to  disarrangement  of  the 
nervous  system.  But  it  is  undoubtedly  true  that  the  com- 
plaints in  question  are  often,  if  not  always,  brought  about 
by  over-indulgence  in  vice. 

And  it  may  be  that  the  devil  is,  on  that  account,  per- 
mitted to  take  up  his  abode  with  them — giving  them  fits  when 
he  pleases.  Many  of  those  demoniacs,  mentioned  in  the 
gospel,  had  symptoms  at  the  moment  of  attack,  altogether 
similar  to  those  of  epileptics  in  our  own  day. 

Rigorously  speaking,  however,  we  ought  not  to  presume 
any  one  as  possessed,  unless  he  has  one  or  more  of  these 
four  marks.     They  are  : 

First:  Remaining  suspended  in  the  air  for  a  consider- 
able time  without  support. 


390  ALETHAURION. 

Second:  Speaking  in  a  language  that  has  never  been 
learned. 

Third:  Kevealing  things  actually  taking  place  at  a  dis- 
tance. 

Fourth  :  Bringing  to  light  hidden  things,  such  as  giving 
an  entire  stranger  a  history  of  his  past  life,  etc. 

When  a  medium  or  fortune-teller  does  any  one  of  the 
above  things,  it  would  be  prudent  to  shun  his  company  and 
cut  his  acquaintance. 

We  finish  this  chapter  with  a  few  observations  on  obses- 
sion. Obsessed  means  besieged,  and  is  a  term  applied  to 
those  whose  bodies  are  not  under  the  control  of  Satan, 
though  he  keeps  close  watch,  remaining  near  them  at  all 
hours.  The  Curate  of  Ars,  for  modern,  and  Sara,  the 
daughter  of  Raguel,  for  ancient  times,  Tobias  iii,  8,  are 
the  best  examples  that  now  occur  to  the  writer,  of  persons 
belonging  to  this  class. 

In  conclusion,  the  reader  must  not  suppose  that  because  a 
person  is  possessed,  or  besieged  by  the  devil,  that  he  is 
necessarily  in  the  state  of  sin.  It  may  be  otherwise.  The 
man  may  be  even  a  saint. 

In  our  next  we  treat  of  animal  magnetism. 


CHAPTER  XCII. 


ANI^HAL   MAGNETISM. 

A  drowning  man,  it  is  said,  will  catch  at  a  straw.  And 
we  know  that  the  victim  of  a  chronic  disease,  if  wealthy, 
will  freely  expend  his  money  on  physicians,  until  hope 
itself  has  fled. 

There  appears  to  be  an  idea  afloat  in  the  minds  of  many, 
that  for  every  ill  that  flesh  and  bjood  is  heir  to,  God  has 
provided  a  remedy  which  exists  somewhere  in  the  great  con- 
servatory of  nature. 


ALETHAURION .  391 

Ponce  de  Leon  and  others  who  figured  on  the  stage  of 
life  about  the  time  this  continent  was  discovered,  were  im- 
pressed with  the  notion  that  there  was  here,  in  the  new 
world,  a  fountain  whose  waters  could  bestow  perennial  youth, 
and  ward  off  death. 

But  though  DE  Leon  was  unsuccessful,  the  search  has  not 
been  abandoned  ;  a  circumstance  which  has  tended  to  ad- 
vance the  science  of  medicine,  and  has  given  rise  to  no  in- 
considerable amount  of  quackery. 

In  this  latter  branch  prominently  rises  the  name  of  An- 
thony Mesmer,  a  physician  who  flourished  at  Vienna, 
towards  the  close  of  the  last  century. 

In  his  search  for  new  methods  of  curing  diseases,  he 
ima£rined  that  he  had  at  last  discovered  the  **  Fountain  of 
Youth."  It  consisted  in  a  very  subtile  fluid,  emanating 
from  the  bodies  of  all  animals.  To  this  our  quack  gave  the 
name  of  '*  animal  magnetism." 

Once  that  its  existence  was  proven  to  be  a  reality,  it  only 
remained  to  devise  means  to  utilize  it,  and  these  were  soon 
discovered.  They  consisted,  principally,  in  certain  touches, 
and  motions  of  the  hands,  made  by  the  magnetizer  in  the 
presence  of  the  person  to  be  magnetized. 

In  this  way  the  fluid  passed  from  one  to  another — from 
the  positive  to  the  negative.  But  in  some  ca- -s  the  simple 
presence  of  the  magnetizer  was  all  that  was  required,  and 
the  express  consent  of  the  patient,  at  least  for  the  first  time, 
was  a  necessary  condition.  When  all  things  work  properly, 
two  effects  were  and  still  are  said  to  be  produced  : 

First,  A  state  of  somnambulism  in  which  the  patient, 
although  deprived  of  his  natural  reason,  yet  sees,  hears  and 
answers  questions. 

Second,  A  wonderful  knowledge,  not  only  of  his  own  con- 
dition, and  of  the  remedies  suitable  to  his  disease,  biit  also 
of  what  is  taking  place  at  such  distant  points  as  the  ques- 
tion may  indicate. 

The  writer  willingly  confe$ses  never  to  have  witnessed  an 


392  ALETHAURION. 

exhibition  of  the  powers  spoken  of.  Yet  in  view  of  what  he 
has  heard  from  persons  worthy  of  belief,  he  does  not  feel  at 
liberty  to  deny  that  the  thing  is  possible  ;  nor  even  to  call  in 
doubt  its  actual  occurrence. 

Granting,  therefore,  that  others  have  witnessed  the  mani- 
festations spoken  of,  the  question  naturally  arises,  what  are 
we  to  think  of  them  ? 

Do  they  come  from  God,  or  from  nature,  or  from  the 
demon?     There  are  three  opinions  upon  the  subject. 

The  first  rejects  animal  magnetism,  as  the  work  of  Satan, 
on  the  grounds  that  the  strange  effects  produced  by  it  can 
come  neither  from  God  nor  from  the  power  of  nature. 

Not  from  God  ;  for,  what  man  of  sane  mind  could  for  a 
moment  conceive  Him  as  deviating  from  the  ordinary  course 
of  His  providence,  at  the  mere  nod  of  one  of  His  own  crea- 
tures? True,  he  did  so  when  Moses  struck  the  rock  in 
Horeb  ;  when  Joshua  said:  *' Move  not,  O  sun,  towards 
Gabaon,  nor  thou,  O  moon,  toward  the  valley  of  Ajalon  f ' 
and  when  Peter  cured  the  lame  man  at  the  gate  of  the 
temple. 

But  then,  we  must  confess  there  is  some  difference  between 
them  and  our  animal  magnetizers.  They  were  chosen 
instruments,  men  of  the  highest  sanctity.  Can  the  others 
claim  as  much  for  themselves?  We  think  not.  Or,  if  they 
do,  their  claims  will  scarcely  be  allowed. 

The  effects  produced  by  animal  magnetism  come  not  from 
nature  ;  for  the  will  of  the  agent  is  required  and  also  that  of 
the  patient,  at  least  for  the  first  time.  Now,  there  is  no  well 
defined  connection  between  a  mere  internal  act  of  the  will 
and  external  physical  objects. 

Physical  forces  always  act  according  to  known  laws,  and 
independently  of  the  human  will .  If  one  should  take  a  horse- 
shoe magnet,  and  bring  the  poles  within  half  an  inch  of  a 
cambric  needle,  it  would  attract  the  needle  whether  the  man 
-who  held  it  wished  the  effect  or  not. 

Moreover,  the   wonderful  Effects   of  animal    mas^netism 


ALETHAURIOX.  393 

appear  to  transcend  the  powers  of  nature.  Even  those  who 
have  studied  nature's  hnvs  most  profoundly,  cannot  under- 
stand how  an  illiterate  man,  when  magnetized,  can,  in  an 
instant,  gain  a  knowledge  of  so  many  sublime  sciences,  so 
as  to  be  able,  whilst  deprived  of  the  use  of  his  natural 
reason  and  sense,  to  speak  learned  languages,  see  things 
many  hundred  miles  away,  and  prescribe  remedies  for  dis- 
eases w4iich,  under  ordinary  circumstances,  he  would  not  be 
capable  of  diagnosing.  Such  is  the  first  opinion,  and  it 
seems  reasonable. 

The  second  opinion,  which  is  that  held  by  many  celebrated 
physicians,  maintains  that  the  effects  of  animal  magnetism 
may  proceed  from  the  powers  of  nature.  For,  say  they,  it 
is  possible  that  there  may  be  in  the  bodies  of  some  men  a 
subtile  fluid,  like  that  of  the  magnet,  which  can  be  made  to 
pass  from  theirs  into  other  bodies,  and  by  means  of  the 
physical  organs,  even  act  upon  the  minds  of  men  who  come 
in  contact  with  them.  These,  moreover,  add,  in  favor  of 
their  theory,  that  similar  effects  are  witnessed  in  cases  of 
natural  somnambulism. 

Somnambulists  see  in  the  dark,  hear,  and  perform  feats 
whilst  in  that  state,  of  which  they  would  be  incapable  when 
awake.  Yet  somnambulism  is  not  referred  to  any  super- 
natural power,  and  why  should  animal  magnetism  be,  when 
the  effects  in  both  cases  are  so  much  alike? 

Moreover,  say  the  doctors,  the  fact  that  the  consent  of  the 
patient  is  required,  is  not  an  objection  of  any  consequence  ; 
for  the  will,  in  this  case,  is  not  necessary,  in  so  far  as  it  is  a 
mere  internal  faculty,  independent  of  the  body,  but  it  is 
needed  only  as  a  means  by  which  to  excite  the  phantasy, 
and  move  the  subtile  humors  of  the  body,  and  thus  exert 
a  force  upon  man's  moral  condition. 

The  third  opinion,  which  appears  to  be  the  most  reason- 
able, distinguishes  between  the  various  effects  of  animal 
magnetism. 


394  ALETHAUEION. 

According  to  its  patrons,  when  the  effects  produced  de- 
pend entirely  or  principally  on  the  will  of  the  magnetizer  ; 
or  when  the  magnetized  gives  positive  evidence  of  infused 
science,  such  as  speaking  languages  he  never  knew  before, 
seeing  things  many  hundred  miles  away,  etc.,  then  demonia- 
cal intervention  must  be  admitted. 

For  such  effects  evidently  go  beyond  the  powers  of  na- 
ture, whose  laws  are  pretty  well  known  to  us  now  after  an 
experience  of  nearly  six  thousand  years ;  nor  have  such 
results  ever  been  witnessed  in  natural  somnambulism. 

Yet  it  is  not  repugnant  to  reason  that  one  should  admit 
some  other  phenomena  of  animal  magnetism  without  being, 
compelled  to  refer  them  to  supernatural  agencies. 

With  these  observations,  it  will  not  be  difficult  to  form  a 
prudent  judgment,  respecting  the  spiritualistic  exhibitions 
given  publicly  and  privately  also,  here  in  town,  not  many 
months  ago.     (Georgetown,  Ky..,  1879.) 

That  there  was  a  force  of  some  kind  or  other,  brought  to- 
bear  upon  the  tables  and  other  movables  used,  and  that  it 
was  independent  of,  and  different  from,  the  natural  muscu- 
lar power  of  the  exhibitors,  was  I  think  abundantly  shown. 

But  that  said  force  was  directed  by  the  will  of  the 
so-called  mediums,  or  by  any  other  intelligent  cause,  was  not 
demonstrated.  It  is  possible  that  if  a  person  possessed  of  a 
great  magnetic  influence,  should  give  himself  heart  and  soul 
to  the  business,  he  would  before  long  find  some  intelligent 
but  unknown  power  working  with  him. 

The  unknown  power  the  writer  believes  to  be  nothing 
more  nor  less  than  the  spirits  of  darkness.  Those  who 
attribute  the  movement  of  tables,  etc.,  altogether  to  the 
agency  of  spirits,  ask  why  the  power,  if  a  natural  one,  can- 
not be  scientifically  treated  ? 

We  answer  that  there  are  many  other  facts  that  certainly 
depend  upon  natural  causes  which  yet  surpass  scientific 
analysis. 


ALETHAUKION.  395^ 

CHAPTER  XCIII. 


PAUL  AND  THE  ISLAND  OF  CYPRUS. 

After  a  somewhat  lengthy  digression  we  again  return 
to  study  more  of  the  acts  of  the  great  Apostle  of  the  Gen- 
tiles. 

We  parted  with  him  in  Cyprus,  where  he  converted  the 
proconsul,  Sergius  Paulus,  and  by  the  force  of  a  miracle, 
confounded  the  magician  Elymas. 

The  conversion  of  the  governor  was  hailed  with  such  joy 
by  the  faithful  that  they  changed  the  Apostle's  name  from 
the  Jewish  Saul  to  the  Roman  Paulus,  or  Paul  ;  and  he 
appears  to  have  accepted  the  new  title. 

This  was  in  conformity  with  a  practice  long  prevalent  at 
Rome.  The  victorious  general  often  took,  or  had  given  him, 
the  name  of  the  province  or  people  he  had  conquered. 

The  Island  of  Cyprus,  where  this  conversion  took  place,  is 
situated  in  the  extreme  eastern  part  of  the  Mediterranean 
Sea,  about  thirty-five  miles  from  the  coast  of  Asia  Minor, 
and  seventv-five  from  that  of  Svria.  It  is  one  hundred  and 
fifty  miles  long,  by  sixty,  at  its  widest  part. 

In  the  davs  of  Paul  it  belons^ed  to  the  Romans,  but  now 
the  English  rule  it,  and  an  Irishman  and  Catholic  holds  the 
position  once  honored  by  the  first  Roman  Governor,  who 
embraced  the  Catholic  faith. 

Substitute  London  for  Rome,  and  you  have  Sir  Garnet 
WoLSELEY,  the  successor  of  Sergius  Paulus,  who  received 
the  faith  from  the  Apostle  of  the  Gentiles,  and,  in  return, 
gave  him  a  name  that  will  be  famous  as  long  as  the  world 
lasts. 

After  having  gone  through  the  entire  island,  and  preached 
the  glad  tidings  of  redemption,  Paul  passed  into  Asia 
Minor.  Asia  Minor  is  that  part  of  Asiatic  Turkey  lying 
between  the  Black  and  ^lediterranean   seas,  and,  in  those 


396  ALETHAURION. 

days,  was  thickly  populated  ;  the  cities,  especially  on  the 
western  coast,  being  centers  of  learning  and  refinement. 

It  aiay  be  proper  to  give  here,  in  general  terms,  the  char- 
acter of  its  inhabitants,  from  a  religious  standpoint.  The 
vast  majority  were  pagans,  worshipers  of  Jupiter,  Juxo, 
Mars,  Venus,  Minerva,  and  the  other  gods  and  goddesses 
of  heathenism.  ' 

There  were  also  in  the  cities  and  larger  towns  Jews,  who 
worshiped  the  true  God. 

These  had  left  their  native  country  for  the  jDurpose  of 
trafficking  with,  or  lending  money  to  the  Gentiles,  and  it  is 
possible  that  a  high  per  centage  of  them  may  have  been,  as 
now,  in  the  clothing,  or  the  rag-picking  business. 

They  appear  to  have  made,  from  a  religious  point  of  view, 
little  or  no  impression  on  the  Pagans.  For  having  been 
foreign  in  all  their  thoughts,  words  and  deeds,  they  were 
looked  upon  with  mistrust,  or  else  despised  by  their  neigh- 
bors. 

To  study  them  now,  is  to  know  them  as  they  were  then ; 
for  a  eTew  is  always  a  Jew. 

Some  of  their  rabbles,  out  of  a  spirit  of  vain-glory,  under- 
took journeys  over  the  sea  and  land  to  make  proselytes. 
But  these,  like  the  Indians  converted  by  Protestant  preachers, 
became  children  of  hell  two-fold  more  than  they  were  before. 

eludaism  was  never  intended  to  be  the  universal  religion. 
And,  unless  the  Lord  build  the  house,  they  labor  in  vain  who 
attempt  it. 

The  Apostles,  who  were  all  Jews,  on  going  forth  to  preach 
the  Gospel,  most  generally  began  their  labors  in  each  place 
among  their  Hebrew  brethren.  It  was  natural  they  should 
have  done  so  ;  for  the  Jews  were  already  believers  in  one 
God,  and  expected  that  Messiah  whom  the  Apostles  preached. 

They,  moreover,  had  synagogues  in  many  of  the  towns  ; 
and  as  the  Apostles  had  a  greater  work  than  church  building 
before  them,  they  took  advantage  of  those  houses  already 


ALETHAUKIOX.  397 

built,  preached  in  them,  aud  sought  to  convert  their  owners 
to  the  new  belief. 

It  wa3  tho  spiritual  rather  than  the  material  edifice  that 
claimed  and  received  the  attention  of  those  men  whom  Christ 
Himself  taught.  Inferior,  })ut  also  useful  workmen,  they 
knew  would  come  after,  and  build  houses  of  brick  stone  and 
mortar. 

But  we  have  no  evidence  going  to  show  that  an  Apostle 
ever  built  a  church,  or  superintended  the  building  of  one,  or 
begged  or  lectured  for  money  to  build  it. 

The  putting  up  of  suitable  houses  for  worship  is  a  business 
that  rather  belongs  to  the  laity.  And  they  take  to  it  with  a 
vim,  and  follow  with  eagerness,  when  piety,  singleness  of 
purpose  and  zeal  for  God's  glory  lead  the  way. 

But,  when  a  Cheops  undertakes  a  pyramid,  to  serve  as  a 
tomb  for  his  own  carcass  to  rot  in,  he  must  not  throw  away 
the  whip  if  he  does  not  want  the  work  to  flag. 

Let  us  now  accompany  St.  Paul  from  Cyprus   to  Asia 

Minor. 

'•Allien  Faul,  and  they  who  were  with  him,  had  sailed  from  Paphos, 
they  came  to  Perge,  in  Pamphylia  ♦  ♦  Passing  through  Perge 
they  dime  to  Antioch,  in  Pisidia,  and  entering  into  the  synagogue  on  tlie 
Sabbath  day,  they  sat  down.  And  after  the  reading  of  the  law  and  the 
prophets,  tlie  rulers  of  the  synagogue  sent  to  them,  saying:  Ye  men 
and  brethren,  if  you  have  any  word  of  exhortation  to  make  to  the  people, 
speak.  Then  Paul,  rising  up,  and  with  his  hand  bespeaking  silence, 
said.  Ye  men  of  Israel,  and  ye  that  fear  God,  give  ear,  etc."    Acts  xiii. 

We  have  here,  a  description  of  the  way  in  which  the  public 
worship  was  conducted  in  one  of  those  Jewish  synagogues, 
in  the  days  of  the  Apostles.  The  rabbi  or  lector,  first  read 
the  law  and  the  prophets,  then  looking  down  over  the 
assembly,  which  was,  in  all  probability,  not  large,  and  seeing 
some  strangers  present,  he  and  the  rulers  of  the  synagogue 
exchange  a  word  or  two,  and  come  to  the  conclusion  that  it 
would  be  well  to  invite  them  to  address  the  assembly. 

This  was  what  Paul  expected  and  desired,  so  he  stood  up 


398  ALETHAURION. 

and  preached  that  Jesus  was  the  Christ  and  Messiah  expected 
for  generations  by  the  Jews. 

As  there  were  no  short-hand  writers  in  those  days,  to  take 
down  the  words  as  they  came  from  the  lips  of  the  Apostle, 
we  cannot  have  that  thorough  knowledge  of  his  style  of 
preaching,  which  curiosity  might  desire. 

But,  from  the  synopsis  given  in  Acts  xiii,  we  may  reason- 
ably conclude  that  his  sermons  were  not  of  the  flowery  and 
rhapsodical  order,  but  rather  on  the  argumentative  and  doc- 
trinal plan.     This  was  as  might  have  been  expected. 

St.  Paul  knew,  and  every  sensible  rnan  does,  that  scatter- 
ing flowers  of  rhetoric  from  the  pulpit  is  a  practice  that 
works  but  little  good,  and,  if  carried  beyond  a  certain  limit, 
may  do  harm. '  Lacordaire  is  said  to  have  made  no  con- 
verts. Christianity  rejects  whatever  is  false,  flimsy,  and  for 
show,  in  its  ministers. 

If  the  object  be  to  draw  attention  to  one's  self,  the 
preacher  may  indulge  in  high  flights,  and  be  dramatic. 

But  if  Christ  is  to  be  the  principal  figure,  his  minister 
cannot  act  the  dancing  master  nor  the  charletan,  nor  the 
pulpit  thumper. 

Whatever  may  have  been  Paul's  style  of  oratory,  it  is  cer- 
tain he  made  an  impression.  He  also  converted  some,  and 
was  invited  to  preach  again  on  the  coming  Sabbath. 

That  day  having  arrived,  almost  the  whole  city  went  to 
hear  him.  But  the  rulers  of  the  synagogue,  seeing  the  crowd 
and  knowing,  from  the  tenor  of  Paul's  remarks  on  the  pre- 
vious Sabbath,  that  his  success  would  lessen  their  own  im- 
portance, began  to  contradict  and  interrupt  him. 

When  Paul  and  Barnabas  saw  it  was  through  envy  they 
acted,  they  told  the  Jews  that  they  would  no  longer  waste 
words  upon  them,  but  that,  for  the  time  to  come,  they  would 
turn  to  the  Gentiles. 

Many  of  the  latter  believed,  and  the  good  cause  was  mak- 
ing progress,  until  the  chief  men  of  the  synagogue  bethought 
themselves  of  a  plan  to  get  rid  of  our  two  Apostles. 


ALETUALIUON.  399 

There  were  at  the  time  in  Antioch,  some  very  respectably 
connected  old  women,  who  made  great  pretentions  to  religion, 
though,  in  truth,  they  had  but  little  of  it,  and  were  as  ready 
at  gossip  as  at  their  prayers.  By  skillful  manipulation, 
these  were  put  on  the  war-path,  who  in  turn  influenced  their 
husbands,  and  the  consequence  was  that,  after  much  excite- 
ment, Paul  and  Barnabas  were  chased  out  of  the  town  and 
country  in  hot  haste. 

From  Antioch,  they  proceeded  to  Icouium.  But,  before 
accompanying  them  thither,  we  will  first  make  an  observa- 
tion, suirsrested  bv  the  matter  under  consideration. 

Here  in  the  United  States,  there  is  a  field  that  bears  some 
analogy  to  those  regions  visited  by  the  Apostles.  True  it  is, 
that  in  all  the  large  cities,  the  faith  is  firmly  planted — 
thanks  to  European  Catholics,  and  to  their  immediate 
descendants.  But  travel  through  the  rural  districts,  espe- 
cially those  parts  that  are  remote  from  railroads,  and  what 
will  you  find  ? 

The  Catholic  Church  is  not  known  well  enough  to  even 
blaspheme  it  properly.  The  few  Catholics  that  one  finds  at 
rare  intervals,  like  black-jacks  in  winter,  are  fruitless,  and 
almost  leafless,  from  lonsc  nesflcct ;  while  the  heretics  wallow 
in  their  errors  in  undisturbed  repose. 

Not  many  weeks  ago  the  writer  was  called  to  officiate  at  a 
place  where  some  Catholic  people  lived,  far  away  from  any 
church.  The  man  who  came  to  give  information  that  the 
services  of  a  priest  were  required,  lowering  his  voice  at  a 
certain  point  in  the  conversation,  he  said  :  **  And,  Father, 
have  you  any  objection  to  Protestants  being  present  and 
hearing  you  preach?  "  We  replied,  **  None  whatever  ;  the 
more  the  better." 

Omitting  details,  let  it  suffice  to  say  that  when  the,  day 
came  there  was  no  scarcity  of  Protestants,  who,  along  with 
conducting]:  themselves  in  a  becomino:  manner  during:  the 
services,  ate  freely  of  the  homeric  repast  prepared  on  the 
occasion,  and  strongly  pressed  the  writer  to  come  back  on 


400  ALETHAURION. 

some  Sunday,  and  give  further  explanations  of  Catholic 
doctrine. 

''  We'll  give  you  our  meeting  house  to  preach  in,"  said 
one  noble  son  of  the  Dark  and  Bloody  Ground.  *'  And  TU 
notify  all  the  neighbors  round  about,  if  you  let  me  know 
the  time  you  come.  You  are  the  first  Catholic  priest  that 
has  ever  been  in  this  region,  and  they  are  all  as  anxious  to 
see  and  hear  for  themselves  as  I  am." 

No  doubt  curiosity  entered  largely  into  the  good  will 
shown  on  the  occasion.  But  taking  it  altogether,  no  one 
could  have  wished  for  a  better  spirit  to  begin  with.  Now, 
why  is  it  such  people  are  neglected,  left  uninstructed,  unen- 
lightened in  the  true  faith  ? 

The  fault  lies  in  the  present  system  ;  and  its  remedy  may 
be  found  by  adverting  to  first  principles.  The  Apostles 
ordained  in  each  of  those  towns  where  they  preached,  pres- 
byters or  elders,  who  should  have  care  and  direction  over 
those  whom  they  had  converted.  They  themselves  never 
settled  down  permanently  in  any  one  place,  but  always  kept 
up  the  work  of  evangelizing. 

We  are  not  ignorant  of  the  fact,  however,  that  Peter  chose 
Eome,  and  James  Jerusalem,  as  their  particular  Sees.  But 
it  does  not  thence  follow  that  they  never  stirred  out  of 
those  cities. 

We  have,  at  the  present  day,  in  this  country,  elders 
enough,  and  to  spare.  Some  too  old  for  anything  except  to 
scheme  for  good  places  and  fat  livings.  But  apostles  have 
never  been,  and  are  not  now,  numerous  enough  in  the  land. 

As  a  remedy,  and  as  a  means  of  bringing  a  knowledge  of 
the  true  faith  to  thousands,  who  are  to-day  floundering  in 
the  mire  of  heresy,  the  writer  would  suggest  the  propriety 
of  having  in  each  diocese  one  suitable  person  set  apart  for 
the  work  of  an  evangelist. 

By  preaching  Catholic  doctrine  in  those  places  that  are 
now  totally  neglected,  because  altogether  Protestant,  an  in- 
calculable amount  of   good  might   be  done.     The  ordinary 


ALETIIAURION.  401 

♦♦  mission  "  is  too  unwieldy.  It  may  be  compared  to  the 
siege-gun,  fit  only  for  the  fortress.  And,  for  a  fact,  mis- 
sions are  principally  confined  to  the  larger  cities,  and  are 
attended  by  only  a  few  outsiders,  comparatively  speaking. 

With  the  system  spoken  of,  an  entire  diocese  might  be 
evangelized  within  a  period  of  a  dozen  years,  and  many 
brought  into  the  fold  who,  as  things  are  now  going,  will 
live  in  heresy,  and  die  in  it. 

Some  of  the  religious  orders  were  established  fen-  this  very 
purpose,  by  their  illustrious  and  sainted  founders — Sed^quo- 
modo  obscuratum  est  aitriun,  muiatus  est  ejus  color  optimus! 
As  to  the  Evangelist,  he  should  be  a  man  of  intellect,  piety 
and  zeal ;  and,  with  these  qualifications  he  would  achieve  a 
necessary,  a  great  and  a  glorious  work. 

In  our  next  we  will  follow  the  Apostle  to  his  next  field  of 
labor. 


CHAPTER  XCIV, 


ST.  PAUL  PREACHES  AT  ICOXIUM  AND  DERBE. 

Paul  and  Barnabas,  having  taken  apostolic  leave  of  the 
reprol)ate  Jews  and  Gentiles  of  Antioch,  by  shaking  the  dust 
of  their  feet  off  against  them,  arrived  by  forced  marches  at 
Iconiuni,  a  place  one  hundred  and  fifteen  miles  distant,  as 
the  crow  ilies,  from  Antioch. 

Their  experience  here  differed  in  no  wise  from  what  had 
befallen  them  in  the  place  from  which  they  had  fled.  On 
hearing  the  w^ord,  many  of  the  Jews  and  Gentiles  embraced 
the  faith. 

But  there  were  unbelievers  enough  left  to  make  it  too 
w\arni  for  them  to  remain  long.  So  to  escape  being  stoned 
they  had  to  fly  from  there  to  Lystra,  a  town  some  twenty 
miles  away. 

The  brethren  was  sorry  because  of  their   departure,  but 


402  ALETHAURION. 

made  no  attempt  to  retain  them  by  physical  force.  Nor 
would  Paul  have  permitted  such  a  thing.  Christianity,  the 
greatest  moral  force  that  has  ever  been  known  in  the  world, 
was  itself  planted,  and  is  propagated  by  means  entirely 
moral . 

"  If  my  kingdom  were  of  this  world,  my  servants  would  certainlj' 
strive."    John  xviii,  36. 

"  Put  up  again  thy  sword  into  its  place,"  said  the  Saviour,  "  for  all 
tliat  take  the  sword  shall  j^erish  by  the  sword."    Matt,  xxvi,  52. 

Possibly  our  missionaries  in  Pagan  lands  may  be  as  much 
hampered  as  benefitted,  by  the  protection  they  receive  from 
so-called  Catholic  governments. 

It  is  hard  for  the  heathen  Chinese  to  see  anything  else  but 
the  representative  of  the  Divinity  in  a  man,  whose  moral 
teaching  is  sandwiched  with  allusions  to  a  powerful  foreign 
government. 

One  thing  is  very  certain  :  The  Apostles  had  no  such  pro- 
tection to  fall  back  on.  And  when  Paul  appealed  to  C^sae, 
it  was  not  to  a  foreign  power  he  had  recourse,  but  to  an 
emperor  whose  authority  was  acknowledged  by  the  people 
amongst  whom  he  lived. 

The  writer,  however,  does  not  wish  to  be  understood  as 
speaking  confidently  on  this  subject ;  for  it  needs  to  be  ap- 
l^roached  with  caution. 

Temporal  government  are  for  temporal  ends,  and  the  ex- 
perience of  ages  shows  them  up  as  treacherous  and  danger- 
ous allies  of  the  Church. 

The  Church  can  get  along  without  their  aid,  as  she  did 
'for  the  first  three  centuries,  and  as  she  does  at  present  in 
these  United  States.  But  in  some  places  those  who  sit  in 
council  with  C^sar  are  not  satisfied  with  giving  their  mas- 
ter what  belongs  to  him,  they  must  also  place  at  his  disposal 
what  clearly  belongs  to  God.  Hence  the  trouble  and  the 
conflict. 

Our  Apostles  having  arrived  at  Lystra,  a  place  some 
twenty  miles  distant  from  Iconium,  proceeded  at  once  to 


ALETIIAURION.  403 

the  work  of  evangelizing.  Nor  did  they  confine  their  labors 
to  the  town  alone,  but  went  through  the  country  round 
about,  scattering  the  good  seed  wherever  they  went. 

A  miracle  wrought  l)y  St.  Paul,  on  the  person  of  a  man 
who  had  been  a  cripple  from  his  mother's  womb,  also  tended 
to  arouse  the  greatest  enthusiasm  in  their  behalf. 

To  such  an  extent  was  this  the  case,  that  the  people  no 
longer  regarded  them  as  men,  but  thought  the  immortal 
gods  had  come  down  to  pay  them  a  visit.  They  supposed 
Barnabas  was  Jupiteu,  most  probably  on  account  of  his 
majestic  bearing,  "while  to  Paul,  who  was  all  life,  they  gave 
the  name  of  Mercury. 

According  to  the  mythologies  of  those  Pagan  people, 
almost  every  art  or  branch  of  business  was  under  the  pro- 
tection of  some  deity,  and  ^Iercury,  the  son  of  Jupiter, 
being  the  patron  of  eloquence  and  messenger  of  the  gods, 
was  readily  thought  of  when  the  people  had  heard  Paul  and 
saw  the  miracle  he  performed. 

While  the  excitement,  on  account  of  the  cripple,  was 
going  on,  the  priest  of  Jupiter,  who  lived  in  town,  did  not 
forget  what  he  supposed  to  be  his  duty.  He  went  off,  and 
with  his  attendants,  got  ready  some  of  the  sacred  oxen,  in 
order  to  offer  a  great  sacrifice. 

But  the  act  of  idolatry  w^as  prevented  by  the  Apostles, 
who  informed  the  priest  and  the  people  that  they  were  mor- 
tals like  themselves  ;  yet  commissioned  from  on  high,  to 
teach  them  doctrines  that  could  save  their  souls. 

Yet,  their  success  was  here  also  destined  lo  be  of  short 
duration.  Some  Jews  from  Antioch  and  Iconium  followed 
St.  Paul  to  Lystra,  where  they  did  not  fail  to  have  recourse 
to  their  old  tricks — misrepresentation  and  calumny. 

Hence,  the  multitude,  that  so  short  a  time  before  were  on 
the  point  of  offering  them  divine  honors,  now  pelted  our 
Apostles  with  stones.  St.  Paul,  at  whom  it  seems,  most 
of  the  missiles  were  aimed,  was  dragged  outside  of  one  of 
the  city  gates,  on  the  supposition  that  he  was  already  dead. 


404  ALETHAURION. 

But  as  the  disciples  stood  around  he  came  to  life  again, 
and  entered  the  city.  By  this  time  the  authorities  had 
quelled  the  riot,  and  he  was  no  longer  molested.  But  on. 
the  next  day  he  set  out  for  Derbe. 

It  is  astonishing  to  contemplate  with  what  bitterness  the 
Jews  persecuted  St.  Paul  upon  all  occasions.  He  must 
have  been,  indeed,  a  w^onderful  man,  and  well  deserving  of 
the  admiration  in  which  he  has  been  held  by  the  good  and 
wise  of  all  as-es  since  his  dav. 

The  hatred  of  the  wicked  is  a  surer  proof  of  merit  than 
the  praises  of  a  saint.  A  good  man  is  often  deceived  by 
outward  appearances,  but  a  rogue  at  heart  never  mistakes  a 
truly  honest  man  for  a  brother.  Ko  ;  far  sooner  will  a  fat 
quail  mistake  a  sparrow-hawk  for  its  friend. 

They  who  opposed  the  gospel  hated  Paul  with  an  intense 
and  diabolical  rage,  because  they  felt  his  power,  and  de- 
spaired of  ever  being  able  to  circumvent  him  by  trickery,  or 
bluff  him  off  from  what  he  had  undertaken. 

They  understood  him,  and  he  was  not  ignorant  of  what 
depraved  human  nature  is  capable,  under  the  specious  plea 
of  zeal  for  the  law. 

Hence,  though  bold  he  had  caution,  and  though  he  loved 
men  with  true  Christian  charity,  he  did  not  forget  the 
Saviour's  injunction,  to  beware  of  them. 

No  doubt  the  sufferings  that  our  ancestors  in  the  faith,  in 
early  times,  had  to  endure  at  the  hands  of  both  the  Jews  and 
Pagans,  were  to  them  highly  mysterious. 

Indeed  it  was  not  easy  for  the  rank  and  file,  maybe  not 
for  the  Apostles  themselves,  to  understand  why  God  should 
have  permitted  the  wicked  to  afflict  them  as  they  did. 

But  we  who  live  at  this  day,  can  see  the  reason.  Those 
men  who  saw  and  were  taught  by  the  Saviour,  were,  in  the 
designs  of  God,  destined  to  be  examples  for  all  time. 

Their  lives  and  their  deaths  are  now,  to  us,  amongst 
the   strongest   motives   of    credibility   for  believing    that 


ALETHAURION.  405 

Christ  was  God,  and  that  tho  Catholic  Church  is  a  divine 
institution. 

They  all  sealed,  with  their  blood,  the  truths  they  had 
taught  mankind. 

After  having  raised  quite  a  tempest  in  Asia  Minor,  Paul 
and  Barnabas  returned  to  Antioch,  in  Syria.  They  found, 
on  arrival,  that  some  false  teachers  had  been  at  work  during 
their  absence,  and  that  there  was  danger  of  a  schism  in  the 
•Church. 

To  settle  matters  a  council  was  held  at  Jerusalem,  and 
tranquility,  by  its  means,  again  restored. 

In  our  next  we  will  speak  of  this. 


CHAPTER  XCV. 


THE    COUNCIL    OF   JERUSALEM. 

After  Paul  and  Barnabas  had  returned  from  Asia  Minor 
to  Antioch,  in  Syria,  they  found  the  brethren  greatly  exer- 
cised over  a  question  that  had  been  introduced  during  their 
absence. 

Some  half-converted  Pharisees,  enamored  of  everything 
Jewish,  came  down  from  Judea,  and  with  characteristic 
effrontry,  began  at  once  to  hint  around,  and  even  teach  pub- 
licly that  tho  gospel  had  only  been  half  preached  in  Antioch, 
and  that  along  with  believing  in  Christ  they  must  also  be 
circumcised,  and  observe  the  law  of  Moses. 

The  greater  part  of  those  who  had  been  converted,  and 
received  into  the  Church,  after  having  listened  to  the  preach- 
ing of  Paul  and  Barnabas  for  a  year  or  more,  of  course 
paid  no  attention  to  those  emissaries  of  discord.  But  there 
were  at  Antioch,  as  there  are  in  every  place,  some  weak 
people,  who  could  be  badgered  into  almost  anything.  It 
was  amonirst  these  that  those  malcontents  were  most  sue- 
cessful. 


406  ALETHAURION. 

Paul  and  Barnabas,  though  inspired  men  and  workers  of 
miracles,  had  no  small  contest  with  them.  Such  has  ever 
been  the  obstinanoy  of  those  possessed  with  the  spirit  of 
heresy.     They  will  not  yield  to  inspiration  itself. 

It  was  finally  agreed,  for  the  sake  of  peace,  to  refer  the 
matter  in  dispute  to  Peter,  and  to  the  other  apostles  and 
priests  in  Jerusalem. 

Both  parties  chose  delegates  to  represent  their  views  be- 
fore the  council ;  and  these  after  having  arrived  at  Jerusa- 
lem, the  Apostles  and  ancients  came  together  to  consider  the 
matter.     Acts,  xv,  6. 

Paul  and  Barnabas  pleaded  their  cause,  we  may  pre- 
sume with  their  usual  strength  and  eloquence,  whilst  the 
heretics  were  bitter  and  defiant.  This  we  learn  from  the 
character  of  the  speech  made  by  Peter  on  the  occasion. 

For  after  there  had  been  much  disputing,  and  no  prospect 
that  those  in  error  would  yield,  he,  the  first  Pope  and  head 
of  the  Church,  at  last  arose. 

He  told  of  how,  by  divine  relation,  Cornelius,  the  cen- 
turion, had  entered  the  Church  without  circumcision,  and  of 
how  God  made  no  distinction  between  Gentile  and  Jew. 
Then  turning  toward  those  who  stood  up  for  the  observance 
of  the  Mosaic  law,  and  with  meaning  in  his  eye,  he  said  : 

*'  Xow,  therefore,  why  tempt  you  God,  to  put  a  yoke  upon  the  necks 
of  the  disciples  which  neither  our  fathers  nor  we  were  able  to  bear?  '^ 
(Acts  XV,  10.) 

When  Peter  had  spoken  there  was  no  more  opposition 
in  that  assembly.  Those  who  were  so  loud  at  Antioch, 
and  even  at  Jerusalem,  before  the  lion  had  roared,  were  now 
as  silent  as  clams.  The  question  was  finished,  Peter  had 
spoken,  *' and  the  whole  multitude  held  their  peace. '^ 
Acts  XV,  12. 

In  confirmation  of  what  the  Pope  had  said,  Paul  and 
Barnabas  next  began  to  relate  their  own  experiience  ;  and 
James  the  apostle,  bishop  of  Jerusalem,  put  the  finishing 
touch,  by  quoting  the  prophets  in  defence  of  Peter's  de- 
cision. 


ALETUAURION.  407 

How  wonderful  indeed,  are  the  inspired  writings,  so  sim- 
ple, and  yet  so  sublime,  so  brief  and  yet  so  pregnant  with 
important  facts  and  data. 

That  council  at  Jerusalem,  whose  history  is  given  in  eO 
few  words  in  Acts  xv,  has  been  the  model  and  pattern  ever 
since. 

Men  of  heretical  spirit  begin  to  introduce  new  doctrines  ; 
or  to  call  in  doubt  those  already  believed  in  the  Church  ; 
they  are  at  once  met  and  opposed  by  the  faithful,  discussion 
waxes  warm,  and  the  matter  becomes  of  suflScient  import- 
ance to  call  the  attention  of  the  local  Church  authorities. 

The  latter  render  judgment  on  the  merits  of  the  case,  but 
the  heretics  will  not  submit.  Finally  the  case  goes  to  the 
Pope,  and  from  his  decision  there  is  no  appeal  to  a  higher 
court  on  earth — and  we  may  add,  there  is  none  to  the  court 
above  ;  for  the  voice  of  ^he  Pope,  speaking  ex  Cathedra,  is 
the  echo  of  Christ's. 

Whatever  he  binds  on  earth  is  bound  also  in  heaven.  He 
is  the  rock  on  which  the  Church  is  built.  Matt.  xvi.  He 
feeds  the  lambs  and  the  sheep  of  the  flock.  John  xxi  He 
is  commissioned  to  confirm  his  brethren.     Luke  xxii. 

Let  the  reader  also  observe,  that  w^hen  the  dissension 
arose,  in  regard  to  the  question  of  circumcision  at  Antioch, 
it  was  not  to  the  scriptures  an  appeal  wa?  made.  No, 
the  question  was  referred  to  a  living  teaching  authority — 
to  a  supreme  judge  in  things  appertaining  to  faith  and 
morals. 

Let  our  ^lethodist,  Baptist,  Campbellite,  Presbyterian,. 
Episcopal  and  Mormon  friends  take  a  note  of  this. 

They  have  discussions  among  themselves  on  religious 
points,  about  which  they  cannot  agree.  AVhy  do  they  not 
imitate  those  of  Antioch  and  appeal  to  Petek?,  He'  would 
very  soon  decide  these  questions  for  them,  and  he  has  never 
failed  to  do  so  when  asked. 

But  no.  They  i)refcr  to  wrangle,  and  have  the  rabble  for 
a  judge.     All  heresy  stands  self-condemned,  because  it  has 


408  AT.ETHAURION. 

110  commission  to  decide  who  is  right  and  who  is  wrong  in  a 
controversy. 

Not  long  ago,  in  a  certain  town  in  this  State,  there  was  a 
vacancy  in  the  pulpit  of  one  of  the  sectarian  meetinghouses. 
Accordins:  to  custom,  the  members  took  a  minister  on  trial 
before  engaging  him  for  a  year. 

He  preached  for  them  some  few  times,  but  they  found 
fault  with  his  doctrine,  which  smelt  strongly  of  heresy — it 
was  the  old  story  of  the  pot  and  the  kettle.  At  any  rate,  he 
w^as  not  employed. 

The  preacher  next  went  through  another  ©rdeal,  and,  we 
presume,  preached  the  same  doctrines  in  a  meeting  house 
some  ten  or  a  dozen  miles  away.  Here  he  was  received  with 
opened  arms,  and  dubbed  orthodox,  by  men  and  women  of 
the  same  denomination  with  those  who  had  already  passed 
judgment  and  pronounced  him  unsound. 

It  is  a  wonder  that  such  a  patent  inconsistency  does  not  at 
once  open  the  eyes  of  sectarians,  and  cause  them  to  abandon 
such  ridiculous  organizations,  and  enter  at  once  that  Church 
which  professes  infallibility,  and  acts  as  only  a  divinely  com- 
missioned infallible  society  can  act. 

The  man  who  opposed  Paul  and  Barnabas  at  Antioch, 
and  raised  such  a  commotion  in  the  Church,  was,  accord- 
ing to  some  of  the  ancient  Fathers,  especially  St.  Epiphan- 
lus,  no  other  than  that  oily  and  mendacious  heresiarch,  Cer- 
IXTHUS,  of  whom  we  have  already  spoken  in  Chapter 
XXVH. 

The  condemnation  pronounced  against  his  doctrines  by  the 
Council  of  Jerusalem,  does  not  appear  to  have  cured  him  of 
his  obstinancy,  for  it  has*been  handed  down  that  he  went 
from  bad  to  worse,  and,  finally  met  a  sudden  death  in  his 
impenitence. 

In  our  next,  beginning  with  the  first  general  council  of 
Nice,  we  will  give  a  synopsis  of  what  was  done  in  it  and  in 
others  held  in  the  East. 


ALETIIAURION.  409 


CHAPTER  XCVI. 


BIRD  S   EYE  VIEW  OF  THE  GENERAL  COUNCILS. 

In  the  last  chapter  we  spoke  of  the  council  of  Jerusalem 
which,  properly  speaking,  was  not  a  general  one.  In  the 
present,  we  treat  of  those  synods  that  by  universal  con- 
sent, have  received  the  name  of  Ecumenical,  or  General 
Councils. 

They  are  eighttcn  in  number,  according  to  the  opinion  of 
the  best  and  most  reliable  theologians  ;  though  some  French 
writers  add  one  more  to  the  list. 

The  first  was  held  at  Nice,  a  town  of  Bithynia,  in  Asia 
Minor,  A.  D.  325  ;  during  the  reign  of  Coxstaxtixe,  the 
first  Catholic  Emperor  of  Rome  ;  Sylvester  being  Pope. 

Tliree  hundred  and  eighteen  bishops  from  various  parts 
of  the  empire,  were  present,  and  participated  in  its  deliber- 
ations. 

Coxstaxtixe  took  no  hand  in  the  discussions,  and,  of  his 
own  free  choice,  occupied  a  seat  ai)art  from,  and  inferior  to 
those  destined  for  the  bishops  ;  for  he  did  not  come  there  to 
dictate,  but  to  learn  and  be  guided  by  their  decisions. 

In  this  council  were  condemned  the  errors  of  Arius,  a 
priest  of  Alexandria,  in  Egypt,  who  denied  the  diviiilty  of 
Jesus  Chrl'^t.  The  bishops,  guided  by  the  Holy  Ghost, 
having  declared  Christ  consubstantial,  that  is  of  the  same 
substance  with  God  the  Father,  pronounced  sentence  against 
the  heresiarchs. 

Seventeen,  however,  of  their  number,  admirers  of  Arius 
and  his  doctrines,  refused  to  subscribe  to  his  condemnation, 
and  to  the  decisions  of  the  council,  but,  after  a  few  days, 
twelve  relented,  and  finally  only  two  remained  obstinate,  who 
were  exiled  along  with  their  master. 

The  Fathers  of  this  council,  also  defined  the  time  for  cel- 
ebrating the  feast  commemorative  of  the  resurrection  of  our 


410  ALETH  AURION . 

Lord,  and  enacted  other  laws  in  regard  to  matters  of  disci- 
pline. 

Hosius,  the  bishop  of  Cordova,  in  Spain,  along  with  Yito 
and  Vincent,  two  Roman  priests,  sent  as  legates  by  the 
Pope,  presided. 

The  second  general  council  w^as  held  at  Constantinople, 
A.  D.  381,  during  the  reign  of  the  Emperor  Theodosius. 
About  five  hundred  Oriental  bishops  took  part  in  it. 

These  condemned  anew  the  errors  of  Arius,  and  those  of 
ApoLLiNAPtius,  who  taught  doctrines  at  variance  with  the 
mystery  of  the  Incarnation.  But  their  principle  work  was 
the  condemnation  of  Macedonius,  a  wicked  usurping  bishop 
of  Constantinople,  who  denied  the  divinity  of  the  Holy 
Ghost. 

The  year  following,  Pope  Damasus  approved  the  acts  of 
this  council,  since  which,  it  has  been  regarded  as  ecumenical. 
We  do  not  know  with  certainty  who  presided  ;  but  the  prob- 
abilities are  mostly  in  favor  of  Timothy,  patriarch  of  Alex- 
andria. 

The  third  general  council  was  held  at  Ephesus,  a-  city  on 
the  western  coast  of  Asia  Minor,  A.  D.  431.  Cyril  of 
Alexandria,  presided,  having  been  authorized  to  do  so  by 
Pope  Celestine. 

Two  hundred  and  sixty-four  bishops  were  present,  who, 
after  having  duly  considered  the  question,  brought  sentence 
of  condemnation  against  Nestorius,  bishop  of  Constanti- 
nople, for  teaching,  that  in  Christ  there  were  two  persons, 
the  divine  and  the  human  ;  and  that  the  Blessed  Virgin 
had  no  right  to  the  title  of  Mother  of  God  ;  she,  accord- 
ing to  Nestorius,  having  given  birth  to  the  human  person 
only. 

For  this  impiety  he  was  deposed  and  branded,  to  the  great 
joy  and  satisfaction  of  all  the  faithful.  The  sentence  of 
Pope  ZoziMUS  against  Pelagius  and  his  followers,  was  also 
confirmed  by  the  fathers  of  this  synod. 


ALETILVUKION .  411 

Not  long  after  these  events,  another  possessed  of  an  heret- 
ical spirit,  came  to  the  surface.  His  name  was  Eutyches, 
a  monk  of  Constantinople. 

Out  of  hatred  to  the  errors  of  Nestorius,  he  fell  himself 
into  heresy,  maintaining  that  in  Christ  there  was  only  one 
nature,  viz :  The  divine.  That  the  body  of  our  Saviour 
also  came  from  heaven,  and  simply  passed  through  the  Virgin 
as  through  a  canal. 

To  set  the  seal  of  reprobation  on  such  doctrines,  the  fourth 
general  council  was  convened  at  Chalccdon,  A.  D.  451. 

r>etween  live  and  six  hundred  bishops,  presided  over  by 
Paschasixus,  Lucentius  and  Bonifacius,  papal  legates, 
were  there  on  the  occasion.  These,  after  having  approved 
of  the  acts  of  the  Council  of  Ephesus,  defined  that  in  Christ 
there  were  two  natures,  the  divine  and  the  human. 

The  fifth  general  council  was  held  at  Constantinople,  A. D. 
535,  during  the  pontificate  of  Pope  Vigilius,  who, 
though  he  neither  personally  nor  by  legates,  presided  at  it, 
yet  afterward  approved  its  acts. 

There  were  present  nbout  one  hundred  and  sixty-five  bish- 
ops ;  and  their  principal  work  consisted  in  the  condemna- 
tion of  what  were  called  the  Three  Chapters  :  viz.,  the  writ- 
ings of  Theodore  of  Mopsuest ;  of  Theodoret,  bishop  of 
Cyr  ;  and  a  letter  which  Iahs,  bishop  of  Edessa  had  written 
to  a  Persian  named  Maris. 

These  three  Chapters,  being  unsound,  were  causing  as 
much  disturbance  then  as  the  question  of  the  **  three  year 
olds,"  and  the  '*  four  year  olds  "  once  did  in  Tipperary. 
But  the  fathers  of  council  knocked  the  three' into  one  pulpy 
mass  and  ended  the  strife. 

The  sixth  general  council  was  held  at  Constantinople, 
A.D.  680.  There  were  present  about  one  hundred  and  sixty 
bishops,  besides  the  legates  of  Pope  Agathon. 

These,  in  council,  sat  at  the-  left  of  the  Emperor,  Cox- 
stantixe  Pogoxatus,  or  the  bearded,  because  in  the  East, 
that  is  the  position  of  honor ;  whereas  Macarius,  bishop  of 


412  ALETHAURIOX. 

Antioch,  and  George,  bishop  of  Constantinople,  sat  at  his 
right. 

In  this  council  the  Monothelites,  a  branch  of  the  Euty- 
chian  heresy,  received  a  fitting  rebuke.  Their  error,  which 
consisted  in  maintaining  that  Christ  had  only  one  will — the 
divine — was  condemned  ;  and  the  true  Catholic  doctrine, 
that  the  Saviour  had  two  wills,  the  divine  and  human,  form- 
ally declared. 

The  seventh  general  council  was  held  A.  D.  787,  at  Nice, 
in  Bithynia.  Three  hundred  and  seventy-seven  bishops, 
with  Peter,  the  archpriest  of  St.  Peter's,  and  Peter,  abbot 
of  St.  Saba,  legates  of  Pope  Adrian  I,  were  present. 

In  this  council  the  errors  of  the  Iconoclasts,  or  imas^e 
breakers,  were  condemned.  From  the  beginning  all  true 
believers  honored  the  pictures  and  images  of  our  Lord,  His 
blessed  mother  and  the  saints. 

But  about  the  beginning  of  the  seventh  century,  there 
came  a  sect  into  existence,  whose  religion  meant  war  upon 
all  such.  The  members  were  called  Iconoclasts,  and  the 
sect  flourished  for  a  time,  under  the  patronage  of  the  Em- 
perors Leo  the  Isaurian,  and  Coxstaxtixe  Coproxymus. 

The  latter,  whose  name  would  not  sound  well  if  translated, 
brought  together,  A.  D.  726,  in  Constantinople,  upwards  of 
three  hundred  bishops  ;  who,  either  through  innate  villainy, 
or  through  fear  of  the  emperor  absolutely  condemned  the 
worship  of  images. 

It  was  to  remedy  the  evils  caused  by  such  pusillanimity  on 
the  one  hand,  and  abuse  of  power  on  the  other,  that  the 
seventh  general  council  was  convoked. 

The  fathers  condemned  what  had  been  done  by  Coproxy- 
mus and  his  batch  of  cowardly  hirelings  in  the  former 
synod. 

Then  they  made  a  declaration  of  the  true  Catholic  and 
apostolic  doctrine,  viz  :  That  one  may,  and  ought  to  give 
honor  to  the  imaijes  of  Christ  and  his  saints  ;  but  not  the 
honor  and  worship  that  belongs  to  God. 


ALETHAURION.  413 

The  eighth  general  council  was  held,  A.  D.  8G9,  at  Con- 
stantinople, and  one  hundred  and  two  bishops  took  part 
therein.  Donatus,  Stephen  and  Marixts,  legates  of  Pope 
Adrian  II,  presided.  Piiotius,  the  author  of  the  Greek 
schism,  and  as  polished  and  consummate  a  scoundrel  as  ever 
spoke  that  language,  here  got  his  deserts. 

Having,  by  order  of  the  emperor,  come  before  the  council 
he  refused  to  plead  his  cause,  comparing  himself  to  our 
Saviour  in  the  house  of  Pilate.  But  he  did  not  escape  con- 
demnation. This  was  the  last  of  the  general  councils  held 
in  the  East. 

In  our  next  we  will  give  a  synopsis  of  those  of  the  West. 


CHAPTER  XCVII. 


BIRD  S  EYE  VIEW  OF  THE  GENERAL  COUNCILS. 

Having  spoken  of  the  eight  general  councils  held  in  the 
East,  we  now  come  to  those  of  the  West. 

The  ninth  was  held  A.  D.  1123,  at  Rome,  in  the  Church 
of  St.  John  Lateran,  during  the  pontificate  of  Calixtus  I. 
More  than  three  hundred  bishops  were  present,  and  the  Pope 
in  person  presided. 

The  question  of  investitures  was  here  discussed  and  de- 
cided. It  meant  the  right,  or  privilege,  claimed  by  some 
feudal  lords,  in  the  middle  ages,  of  appointing  persons  to 
vacant  bishoprics  or  abbacies,  and  was  called  an  investiture, 
because  the  king  or  prince  gave  the  bishop  a  crozier  and 
ring,  in  token  of  the  authority  to  him  transferred. 

The  custom  had  its  origin  in  the  munificence  of  Catholic 
princes  towards  the  Church,  and  in  the  beginning  w^as  at- 
tended with  no  evil  consequences.  But  there  was  in  it  a 
germ  of  mischief  that  could  not  fail  to  produce  bitter  fruit 
in  due  season. 


I 


414  ALETHAURION. 

The  prince  had  not  only  the  temporal,  but  also  the  spirit- 
ualpower  in  his  hands  ;  for  bishops  owed  their  elevation  to 
him,  and  hence,  when  he  was  good  they  were  good,  but 
when  he  was  bad,  they  were  horrid. 

Pope  Gregory  VII,  after  having  studied  the  question 
long  and  prayerfully,  came  to  the  conclusion,  as  w^ell  he 
might,  that  this  privilege  of  investiture  was  at  the  bottom  of 
much  of  the  evil  that  existed  in  the  Church  at  his  day. 

So  he  determined  to  stop  it,  which  caused  great  coolness 
to  spring  up  between  him  and  Hexry  IV,  the  Bismarck  of 
his  time. 

The  story  is  too  long  to  tell  here  in  full ;  let  it  suffice  to 
say  that  the  cause  of  right  and  truth  at  last  prevailed,  so 
that  investitures  are  now  things  of  the  past.  But  the  sha- 
dow of  the  skeleton  still  remains,  under  the  title  of  royal 
exequaturs. 

In  this  council  were  also  enacted  some  laws  against  Simony, 
and  ambitious  monks,  ^v\\o  had  usurped  the  jurisdiction  and 
functions  of  ecclesiastics,  were  again  lassoed,  and  taken  back 
to  their  stalls. 

The  tenth  general  council  was  held  also  at  Rome,  and  in 
the  Lateran  Basilica  A.  D.  1139,  during  the  pontificate  of 
Innocent  II. 

There  were  present  nearly  one  thousand  bishops,  presided 
over  by  the  Pope  in  person. 

It  was  convoked  for  three  principal  ends : 

Firsts  To  extinguish  the  schism  of  the  anti-pope  Anacle- 
Tus  II.     (Peter  Leonis.) 

Second,  To  condemn  the  heresies  of  Peter  de  Bruis  and 
Arnold  of  Brescia. 

Third,  To  invigorate  Church  discipline,  which  had  become 
flabby. 

Peter  Leonis  lived  as  anti-pope  twelve  years,  and  died 
impenitent.  Arnold,  Abbot  of  Bonavallis,  a  cotemporary 
writer  in  his  life  of  St.  Bernard,  book  ii,  chap,  i,  gives  a 
good  description  of  the  means  taken  by  him  to  gain,  enlarge 


ALETHAURION.  415 

iind  retain  his  power — all  of  which  were  unjust  and  tyranni- 
cal. Happily  the  council  extinguished  the  schism  and  re- 
stored peace  to  the  Cluiroh. 

After  having  settled  the  question  of  the  tiara,  the  Fathers 
next  turned  attention  to  the  errors  of  Peter  de  Bruis  and 
Arnold  of  Brescia,  which  they  also  condemned. 

Peter  de  Bruis  was  born  in  Dauphiny,  France,  and  be- 
gan to  preach  his  errors  about  the  year  1110.  According 
to  Peter  the  Venerable,  Abbot  of  Cluny,  who  lived  at  that 
■day,  they  were  five  in  number : 

First,  That  there  is  no  necessity  for  baptizing  infants  be- 
fore the  age  of  reason  ;  because,  according  to  Bruis,  it  is  the 
actual  faith  of  the  subject  that  saves  him  thi^ugh  baptism. 
/Second,  That  churches  ought  not  to  be  builtr;  on  the  con- 
trary, they  should  be  destroyed  ;  and  that  prayers  are  just 
iis  ijood  in  a  bar-room. 

Tliirdy  That  crosses  should  be  burned,  because  all  Chris- 
tians should  have  a  horror  of  that  on  which  Christ  died. 

Fourth,  That  Christ  is  not  really  and  truly  present  in  the 
Eucharist. 

Fifth,  That  sacrifices,  prayers  and  alms  for  the  dead  avail 
nothing. 

Peter  de  Bruis  departed  A.  D.  1130,  having  been  con- 
demned to  be  burned  for  his  many  crimes,  seditions  and 
blasphemies. 

Arnold  of  Brescia  taught  much  the  same  errors  as  those 
of  Peter  de  Bruis,  and  was  something  of  a  revolutionist 
beside.  He  went  about  preaching  that  all  ecclesiastics  who 
held  property  in  their  own  names,  or  as  a  community,  would 
be  damned. 

Finally  he  appeared  in  Rome  and  tried  to  get  the  people 
to  rebel  agaiust  the  temporal  power  of  the  Pope,  for  which 
he  was  arrested,  tried  and  condemned,  A.  D.  1115. 

His  errors,  along  with   those  of   Peter  de  Bruis,  were 
anathematized  in  the  council  of  which  we  are  speakinsr. 
The  eleventh  general  council  was  held  A.  D.  1179,  also  in 


416  ALETHAURION. 

the  Lateran  Basilica.  Pope  Alexander  III,  and  about 
three  hundred  bishops,  assembled  within  its  walls  on  that 
occasion. 

It  was  convoked  in  order  to  condemn  in  a  solemn  manner, 
the  schism  of  the  anti-Pope  Victor  IV,  who,  on  the  strength 
of  three  votes  given  in  conclave,  presumed  to  call  himself 
the  successor  of  Peter,  in  opposition  to  Alexander  III^ 
lawfully  elected  by  twenty-three  Cardinals. 

The  Fathers  of  this  council,  along  with  enacting  some  laws 
in  regard  to  discipline,  condemned  the  errors  of  Peter 
Waldo,  and  his  followers,  the  Waldenses. 

Waldo's  errors,  condemned  by  the  council,  were  briefly 
as  follows : 

Firsts  That  evangelical  poverty  is  absolutely  necessary  for 
salvation. 

Second,  That  all  priests  who  possessed  any  of  the  goods 
of  this  wx)rld  lost,  by  that  fact  alone,  the  power  to  validly 
administer  the  Sacraments. 

Third,  That  a  layman  Avho  practiced  evangelical  poverty, 
had  a  better  right  to  preach  the  Gospel  and  to  administer 
the.  Sacraments,  than  a  priest  who  had  temporal  goods. 
Fourth,  That  it  is  wrong  to  take  an  oath,  even  in  court. 
Fifth,  That  capital  punishment  ought  not  to  be  inflicted 
for  crime. 

Sixth,  That  no  one  should  seek  reparation  for  an  injury. 
Seventh,  That  it  is  w^rong  to  go  to  war  for  any  reason 
whatever. 

Such  were  their  errors  in  the  beginning.  But  Keixer 
Sacho,  the  historian  of  the  sect,  tells  us  that  in  the  course  of 
time  they  added  others  to  the  catalogue,  viz  : 

They  rejected  the  doctrine  of  purgatory ;  the  invocation 
of  saints;  the  ceremonies  of  the  Church;  the  baptism  of 
infants;  the  sacraments  of  confirmation;  extreme  unction 
and  matrimony.  Along  with  these  errors  they  refused  to 
honor  the  cross,  or  the  pictures  and  images  of  our  Lord  and 
the  saints. 


ALETIIAURION.  417 

The  Waldenses  admitted  the  doctrine  of  transubstantiation, 
but  maintained  that  the  change  of  substance  took  phicc,  not 
in  the  hands  of  a  sinful  consecrator,  but  in  the  mouth  of  the 
worthy  receiver. 

These  errors  were  all  anathematized  in  the  council  afore- 
said. The  Baptists  of  the  present  day  chiim  the  Waldenses 
as  their  religious  ancestors.  But,  as  the  reader  may  have 
already  surmised,  as  well  might  a  man  claim  for  his  bull-dog 
lineal  descent  from  a  crocodile,  on  the  ground  that  the  latter 
has  four  legs,  two  eyes  and  a  tail,  and  the  bull-pup  idem. 

The  Baptists  and  Campbellites  of  the  present  day  are  dis- 
tinct sects,  even  though  both  hold  nearly  the  same  views. 
How  mi:ch.more  the  Baptists  and  Waldenses. 

The  twelfth  general  council  was  held  in  the  same  Lateran 
Basilica,  A.  D.  1215. 

Pope  IxNOCEXT  III  presided.  There  were  present  four 
hundred  and  twelve  bishops,  two  patriarchs,  seventy-seven 
primates,  upwards  of  eight  hundred  abbots  and  priors,  and 
of  absent  prelates,  procurators  without  number. 

The  diploma  of  convocation  states  that  it  was  convened 
for  the  repossession  of  the  Holy  Land,  for  the  condemnation 
of  heresies,  and  for  the  reformation  of  the  Universal 
Church. 

In  this  council  the  errors,  some  of  them  new  ones,  of  the 
Waldenses  were  again  condemned;  and  the  Albigenses, 
another  pestiferous  and  immoral  sect  of  that  day,  got  a 
hearing  from  headquarters. 

According  to  Alanus  de  Citeau  and  Peter  de  Vaux- 
CERXAY,  cotemporary  ^vriters,  the  Albigenses  held  the  fol- 
lowing errors : 

Firsts  They  maintained  that  there  are  two  Gods,  the  one 
essentially  good,  the  other  essentially  wicked. 

Secondy  That  there  were  two  Christs,  the  one  wicked, 
who  appeared  on  earth  with  an  unreal  body  and  died,  and 
arose  again  only  in  appearance ;  the  other  good,  but  never 
seen  in  this  world. 


418  ALETHAURION. 

Thinly  They  denied  the  resurrection  of  the  body,  iind 
held  that  our  souls  are  demons,  united  with  our  bodies  in 
punishment  of  crime.  They  in  consequence  denied  the 
existence  of  purgatory  and  of  hell. 

Fourth;  They  rejected  all  the  Sacraments;  held  the  Holy 
Eucharist  in  horror,  and  refused  to  confess  their  sins  to  the 
ministers  authorized  by  the  Church. 

Fifth,  They  dishonored  and  destroyed,  when  they  could, 
the  images  of  Christ  and  the  saints. 

/Sixth,  They  held  marriage  in  abomination,  declaring 
the  propagation  of  the  human  species  to  be  eminently 
sinful . 

They  were  divided  into  two  orders — the  Perfect  and  the 
Believers.  The  former  were  consummate  knaves,  who 
made  much  putward  show  of  piety ;  the  latter  lived  like  the 
rest  of  men,  only  a  great  deal  worse  than  the  majority,  and 
believed  they  could  be  freed  from  all  their  wickedness  by 
the  imposition  of  the  hands  of  the  perfect. 

Against  these  errors  the  Fathers  of  the  council  pro- 
€laimed  anew,  in  a  solemn  manner,  the  doctrine  of  the  real 
presence,  and  made  a  law  obliging  all  the  faithful  to  go  to 
oonfession  and  communion  at  least  once  a  year.  This  law  is 
found  in  the  celebrated  21st  canon,  beginning  with  the  words 
^^omnis  utriiu^que  sexus.''^ 

It  is  worthy  of  remark  that  the  word  transubstantiation  is 
found  for  the  first  time  in  the  acts  of  this  council,  though, 
of  course,  the  doctrine  it  expresses  is  as  old  as  the  Apostles. 
Those  who  get  their  learning  from  almanacs,  also  point  to 
this  council  as  the  one  which  first  introduced  confession. 

In  our  next  we  will  glance  at  the  six  remaining  general 
councils. 


ALETHAUUION.  419 


CHAPTER  XCVIII. 


I 


BIRD  S   EYE    VIEW   OF   THE    GENERAL    COUNCILS. 

The  thirteenth  general  council  was  held  at  Lyons,  A.  D. 
1245,  and  was  presided  over  by  Pope  Innocent  IV. 

Besides  the  cardinals,  there  were  present  three  patriarchs, 
about  one  hundred  and  forty  bishops  ;  Baldwin,  Emperor  of 
Constantinople;  Tiiaddeus  de  Suessa,  procurator  of  the 
Emperor  Frederic  II,  with  the  orators  of  Louis  IX,  those  of 
the  King  of  England,  and  of  some  other  princes,  too  insig- 
nificant to  have  their  names  inserted  here. 

In  this  council  the  Pope  excommunicated  Frederic  II 
for  heresy  and  other  crimes,  absolved  his  subjects  from 
their  oath  of  allegiance,  and  declared  the  throne  vacant, 
after  having  deposed  the  Emperor. 

The  right  of  a  Pope  to  depose  the  King  or  Emperor,  for 
crime,  is  not  an  article  of  faith;  and  the  case  we  speak  of, 
along  with  some  others,  must  be  decided  on  their  own 
merits. 

On  the  principle  involved,  our  theologians  are  divided. 
The  extremists  on  one  side  claim  for  the  Pope  a  direct  right 
to  depose  kings — for  crimes  or  tyrranies,  as  a  matter  of 
course. 

No  one  has  ever  dreamed  of  granting  him  such  a  power 
under  any  other  circumstances.  The  extremists  on  the 
other  side  deny  that  the  Pope  can,  for  any  reason  whatever, 
lawfully  depose  a  King. 

The  intermediate  view  of  the  case,  advocated  by  Cardinal 
Bellarmine,  Tract  de  Rom.  Pontif,  lib.  5,  cap.  11,  appears 
to  be  the  true  one,  viz. : 

That  the  Pope  has  only  an  indirect  power  :  that  is  to  say, 
when  the  good  of  the  Church  and  society  require  it,  he  can 


4  20  ALETHAURION . 

by  excommunication  declare  a  king  fallen  from  his  throne, 
and .  pronounce   his   subjects   absolved   from  their  oath  of 

fidelity. 

»/ 

The  other  reasons  for  convening  the  council  were : 

First,  The  interruption  of  the  Tartars 

Second,  A  desire  to  influence  the  Greeks  to  abandon  their 
schism,  and  unite  with  the  true  Church.  It  is  somewhat 
strange,  however,  that  we  find  nothing  in  its  acts  bearing  on 
that  subject. 

Tliird,  To  condemn  some  heresies  of  those  times. 

Fourth,  To  procure  aid  for  the  faithful  in  the  Holy  Land 
against  the  Saracens. 

The  fourteenth  general  council  was  held  also  at  Lyons, 
A.  D.  1274,  during  the  pontificate  of  Pope  Gregory  X,  who 
presided  at  it  in  person. 

Along  with  the  Latin  patriarchs,  there  were  present  Paxta- 
LEO,  patriarch  of  Constantinople;  Opizio,  patriarch  of  Anti- 
och;  five  hundred  bishops,  seventy  abbots,  and  upwards  of  a 
thousand  other  inferior  prelates,  besides  kings,  or  their 
embassadors. 

In  this  council  the  Greek  schismatics  formally  united  with 
the  true  Church,  after  having  admitted  that  the  Holy  Ghost 
proceeds  from  the  Father  and  Son,  and  that  the  Pope  of 
Home  is,  by  divine  right,  head  of  the  Universal  Church 

The  twenty-third  disciplinary  canon  of  the  second  Council 
of  Lyons  is  remarkable,  from  the  fact  that  it  forbids  the 
establishment  of  new  religious  orders,  and  suppresses  all  the 
mendicant  orders  that  came  into  existence  since  the  Lateran 
Council,  A.  D.  1215,  such,  of  course,  as  had  not  been  con- 
firmed by  the  Holy  See. 

The  fifteenth  general  council  which  lasted  four  years,  viz.  : 
from  1307  to  1311,  was  held  at  Yienne,  inDauphiny,  during 
the  pontificate  of  Pope  Clement  V. 

Besides  the  cardinals  and  patriarchs  of  Alexandria  and 
Antioch,  there  were  present  three  hundred  bishops  and  a 


ALETHAURION.  421 

vast  concourse  of  inferior  prelates.  The  Pope  in  person 
presided. 

The  work  of  this  council  consisted  principally  in  the  sup- 
pression  of  the  Knights  Templar,  and  in  the  condemnation 
of  the  errors  of  some  obscure  sects  then  in  existence. 

The  Knights  Templar  were  first  organized  in  Jerusalem, 
about  the  year  1118  of  our  era,  by  Hugh  de  Paganes  and 
Geoffrey  de  Saixt-Omer.  Their  object  was  to  protect  the 
holy  sepulchre  of  our  Lord  against  infidels. 

B.vLDwix  II,  King  of  Jerusalem,  gave  them  a  house,  sup- 
posed to  have  occupied  the  site  of  the  temple  of  Solomon  ; 
and  from  this  circumstance  they  were  called  Templars.  In 
course  of  time  the  order  became  very  rich,  and  its  members 
correspondingly  corrupt,  in  France  and  other  European 
countries. 

They  were  accused  of  denying  Jesus  Christ,  and  of  spit- 
ting on  the  cross  at  their  initiation,  of  sins  against  nature  in 
their  temples  ;  of  adoring  an  idol  with  a  gilt  head  and  four 
legs  ;  of  practicing  magic,  and  of  obliging  all  postulants  to 
take  a  horrible  oath  of  secrecy. 

For  these  and  other  blasphemies,  many  were  tried,  found 
guilty,  and  executed.  Others  escaped,  and  founded  a  secret 
society  whose  foundation  stones  were :  hatred  of  Jesus 
Christ  and  war  against  the  Pope. 

Some  Galilean  writers  regarded  the  Council  of  Constance 
as  ecumenical.  In  it  was  extintruished  the  fjreat  schism  of 
the  west,  and  the  errors  of  John  Huss  and  Jerome  of  Prague, 
jackals  of  Luther,  were  condemned. 

When  this  council  began,  A.  D.  1414,  there  were  three 
Popes,  viz :  John  XXIII,  Gregory  XII,  and  Benedict 
XIII,  each  of  whom  claimed  to  be  the  legitimate  Pope. 

But,  at  its  close,  in  the  year  1418,  Martin  V,  elected 
by  the  Fathers  of  the  council,  was  universally  acknowl- 
edged to  be  the  successor  of  Peter,  all  the  others  having 
resigned. 


422  ALETH  AURION . 

In  the  last  session,  the  Pope  confirmed  all  that  had  been 
done  ''conciliariter"  in  the  council. 

Gallican  writers  also  regarded  the  Council  of  Bale  as 
ecumenical,  up  to  its  twenty-sixth  session.  It  was  convened 
A.  D.  1431,  in  virtue  of  a  decree  made  in  the  thirty-ninth 
session  of  the  Council  of  Constance,  and  was  prolonged  to 
the  year  1443. 

Pope  Eugene  IV,  withdrew  from  it  in  1437,  and  some  of 
the  bishops  of  Gallican  proclivities  thought  they  could 'get 
along  without  him.  It  was  that  old  case  of  the  body  'and 
members  declaring  themselves  free  and  independent  of  the 
head.  They  went  even  farther,  by  electing  the  Duke  of 
Savoy  as  anti-pope,  who  took  the  title  of  Felix  V. 

The  sixteenth  general  council  was  held  A.  D.  1438,  first 
at  Ferrara,  for  a  year,  and  then,  on  account  of  a  pestilence 
that  had  broken  out  in  the  city,  transferred  to  Florence. 

Pope  Eugene  IV,  presided.  In  this  council  the  Greek 
schismatics  united  with  the  true  Church  ;  and  a  formula  of 
belief,  written  by  the  Pope,  for  the  Armenian  schismatics, 
was  by  them  accepted  A.  D.  1441. 

The  seventeenth  general  council  was  that  of  Trent,  begun 
A.  D.  1545,  and  finished  A.  D.  1563. 

Of  this,  and  of  the  Vatican,  in  a  future  chapter. 


CHAPTER  XCIX. 


bird's  eye  view  of  the  general  councils. 

The  seventeenth  general  council  was  held  at  Trent,  a  town 
of  Tyrol,  situated  a  little  to  the  north  of  the  Italian  frontier. 
It  was  the  most  remarkable  assembly  ever  convened,  since 
that  day  when  Christ  told  the  Apostles  to  go  forth  and 
teach  all  nations. 

The  Bishops  of  former  Councils  sometimes  had  no  more 
than  one   or  two   errors  to   examine   and   condemn.     The 


ALETHAURION.  423 

Fathers  of  Trent  came  together  to  take  cognizance  of  Pro- 
testantism, which  is  a  conglomeration  of  all  the  heresies  that 
ever  were,  and  we  may  add,  that  ever  will  be.  As  the 
Catholic  Church  teaches  all  that  the  Saviour  revealed  ;  so, 
Protestantism  is  equally  universal,  in  that  it  denies  every- 
thing He  wishes  men  to  know  and  believe. 

The  Church  need  not  any  longer  dread  the  appearance  of 
new  heresies  ;  for  Luther  and  his  brood  have  exhausted  the 
catalogue  of  possibilities.  Rationalism  and  Materialism, 
whfch  are  the  principal  ingredients  of  Protestantism,  already 
deny  the  existence  of  a  personal  God.  The  mystery  of 
creation  is  consequently  impugned,  and  Pantheism  installed 
in  its  place.  The  Socinians,  or  Unitarians,  deny  the  mys- 
tery of  the  nriost  Holy  Trinity,  and  reject  the  Incarnation 
and  Atonement  of  the  Son  of  God,  as  also  the  divinity  of 
the  Holy  Ghost. 

The  Universalists  believe  there  is  no  hell ;  and  Ingersoll, 
a  sturdy,  rubicund  protestor,  is  advocating  their  cause. 

The  Methodists  and  Presbyterians  reject  five  of  the  seven 
sacraments  instituted  by  Christ  as  a  means  of  salvation. 
The  Baptists  and  Campbellites  deny  the  utility  of  infant 
baptism  ;  impugning  thereby  the  doctrine  relating  to  the 
propagation  of  original  sin. 

The  Mormon  apostles  are  at  variance  with  the  Apostles  of 
old,  on  the  subject  of  matrimony  ;  and  the  Spiritists  of  our 
day  have  revived  once  more  the  Tlieurcjy  and  Diabolism  of 
Pagan  times. 

To  finish  all  in  one  sentegce  :  Let  the  reader  call  to  mind 
any  one  of  the  doctrines  taught  by  Christ,  and  he  will  find 
a  Protestant  to  deny,  may  be  to  laugh  or  make  sport  of  it. 

It  was  to  attack  this  many  headed  hydra,  and  to  provide 
an  antidote  to  its  venom,  and  to  that  of  the  brood  yet  within 
its  womb,  that  on  the  morning  of  the  thirteenth  day  of 
December,  1545,  at  the  bidding  of  Paul  III,  Pope  of  Rome 
John  Mart  de  Monte,  Marcellus  Cervinus,  and  Re- 
ginald  Pole,  cardinals  of   the    Holv  Roman  Church,  and 


424  ALETHAURION. 

the  legates  of  the  See  of  Peter,  at  the  head  of  a  chosen 
band  of  bishops,  appeared  at  Trent.  From  there  were  pro- 
claimed anew,  and  in  a  solemn  manner,  to  the  whole  world, 
doctrines  taught  by  the  Son  of  God,  and  sealed  with  His 
blood. 

The  council  lasted  for  eighteen  years.  But  most  of  those 
who  had  taken  part  in  its  first  session  had  gone  to  their 
eternal  rest  before  the  morning  of  the  fourth  of  December 
1563,  when  Zambeccarus,  of  Sulmo,  approached  the  a,ltar 
to  offer  sacrifice  for  the  happy  conclusion  of  its  twenty-fifth 
and  last  sittini^. 

Pius  IV  was  then  Pope.  His  predecessors,  Paul  HI, 
tTuLius  III  and  Paul  IV  had  watched,  each  in  turn,  the 
progress  of  the  council,  until  wearied,  they  sank  at  the  post 
of  duty  and  went  to  their  reward. 

Two  histories  of  the  council  of  Trent  have  been  written  ; 
the  one  by  Paolo  Sarpi,  a  Venetian,  who  under  the  cowl 
and  frock  of  a  monk,  concealed  a  Protestant  head  and 
heart. 

Pope  Paul  V,  and  the  Senate  of  Venice  were,  at  that 
time,  not  on  the  best  of  terms  ;  and  Sarpi,  who  hated  Rome, 
thought  to  ingratiate  himself  with  the  leading  men  of  his 
native  city,  by  spewing  out  his  bile  against  the  Tridentine 
Fathers. 

But  after  the  difference  had  been  amicably  adjusted  by 
the  mediation  of  Henry  IV,  Sarpi  no  longer  daring  to  pub- 
lish his  work  in  Italy,  contrived  to  put  the  manuscripts  into 
the  hands  of  Marc  Antonio  detDominis,  another  apostate  ; 
nnd  through  him  an  English  bookseller  has  given  to  the 
world  a  monument  that  well  illustrates  the  cunning,  dupli- 
city and  disregard  for  truth  of  its  author. 

To  refute  this  book  and  give  a  true  history  of  the  Great 
Council,  Cai'dinal  Pallavicini  undertook  his  admirable 
work,  "The  History  of  the  Council  of  Trent,"  which  first 
iippeared  in  print  about  the  year  1665,  and  which  is  based 
U[)()n  official  and  authentic  documents. 


ALETHAURION.  425 

The  work  of  Sarpi,  translated  into  French,  with  notes  by 
Le  CouiivER,  was  also  handsomely  riddled  in  a  volume  pub- 
lished at  Nancy  in  1742,  entitled,  **  The  Honor  of  the  Cath- 
olic Church  and  of  the  Sovereign  Pontiffs,  defended  against 
the  History  of  the  Council  of  Trent  by  Fra  Paolo,  and  the 
notes  of  Father  Le  Couryer." 

We  have  not  space  here  to  give  even  a  synopsis  of  what 
TN'as  done  in  the  various  sessions  of  the  Council. 

But  in  general,  we  may  say,  that  the  work  of  the  Triden- 
tine  Fathers  has  been,  not  only  the  reformation  of  the  Uni- 
versal Church,  but  the  exposure  and  condemnation  of  Pro- 
testantism in  its  root  and  in  its  branches. 

The  eighteenth  and  last  of  the  general  councils  was  that 
of  the  Vatican,  begun  A.  D.  18()9,  on  the  Feast  of  the  Im- 
maculate Conception,  and  continued  through  a  part  of  the 
following  year,  until  cannon  guns  silenced  the  canon  law, 
and  brute  force  leveled  the  barriers  of  justice. 

The  Vatican  is  one  of  the  hills  of  Rome,  and  stands  at  the 
southwestern  extremity  of  the  present  city.  On  it  the  Pope 
has  his  palace,  and  at  the  foot  of  the  hill,  stands  the  Church 
of  St.  Peter,  the  noblest  monument  ever  raised  by  mortal 
hands  for  the  worship  of  the  Almighty.  The  ground  plan 
<?mbraces  an  area  of  six  Englisih  acres,  and  under  the  high 
altar,  in  a  receptacle  of  gold,  adorned  with  precious  stones, 
are  the  mortal  remains  of  the  first  Pope,  Soion  Peter,  the 
fisherman  of  Galilee. 

It  was  in  this  church  that  almost  a  thousand  bishops,  with 
Pius  IX  at  their  head,  met,  and  after  due  deliberation,  de- 
fined and  declared  it  to  be  an  article  of  faith,  taught  by 
Christ  and  by  the  Apostles,  that  the  Pope,  the  successor  of 
St.  Peter,  prince  of  the  Apostles,  when  speaking  ex  cathe- 
dra j  that  is  addressing  the  Universal  Church  on  a  question 
appertaining  to  faith  and  morals,  is  ixfallible. 

We  have  now  given  the  back-bone  of  Church  history  ;  and 
in  our  next  we  return  to  do  some  more  chiseling  around  one 


426  ALETHAURION. 

of  the  eyes  of  the  mighty  statue — we  go  back  to  the  life  and 
times  of' St.  Paul. 


CHAPTER  C, 


ST.    PAUL   VISITS   THE    CHURCHES    OF   SYRIA   AND    CILICIA — HE- 
CARRIES  THE    GOOD    TIDINGS    INTO   MACEDONIA. 

After  the  question  in  regard  to  circumcision  had  been  set- 
tled by  the  council  of  Jerusalem,  a  disagreement  arose  be- 
tween Paul  and  Barnabas,  and  they  separated.  Even  good 
and  holy  men  may  differ  about  the  means  to  a  desired  end. 
We  should  never,  therefore,  get  angry  with  others  because 
thev  do  not  see  thinsrs  as  we  do. 

But  give  a  little  authority  to  a  blockhead,  and  it  makes  a 
tyrant  of  him.  Fear  is  then  the  best  medicine  to  bring  him 
to  his  senses. 

No  man  should  idolize  his  own  will  unless  he  be  sure  that 
his  intelligence,  on  a  controverted  point,  outweighs  the  com- 
bined wisdom  of  his  opponents.  This  attachment  of  a  man 
of  intellect  to  his  opinion  is  called  firmness,  but  a  fool's 
infatuation  with  his  fancies  is  termed  obstinacy. 

"  Make  an  agreement,"  said  the  Saviour, "  witli  thine  adversary  quickly^ 
whilst  tlioii  art  in  the  way  with  him;  lest,  perhaps,  the  adversary  deliver 
thee  to  the  judge,  and  the  judge  deliver  thee  to  the  officer,  and  thou  be 
cast  into  prison." 

It  is  better  to  separate  in  peace  from  those  with  whom  we 
cannot  agree,  than  to  provoke  strife  for  the  purpose  of  mak- 
ing a  display  of  our  strength 

Far  from  getting  angry  or  testing  their  strength,  one  with 
the  other,  Paul  and  Barnabas  took  thenceforth  different 
roads. 

Silas  became  associated  with  the  former,  and  John,  sur- 
named  Mark,  followed  the  latter. 


ALETHAURION.  427 

When  Paul  and  Silas,  in  the  course  of  their  visitation  of 
the  churches,  had  come  to  Derbe  and  Lystra,  towns  of  Asia 
Minor,  they  found  in  one  of  them  a  young  man  named 
Timothy,  who  was  well  spoken  of  through  the  country  round 
about. 

The  mother  of  this  youth  was  a  Jewess,  but  his  father  was 
a  Pagan. 

Now,  according  to  the  law  of  Moses,  it  was  not  permitted 
a  daughter  of  Israel  to  receive  in  marriage  the  hand  of  a 
Gentile,  lest  she  might  thereby  be  drawn  away  from  the 
faith  of  her  fathers. 

But  this  woman,  it  appears,  ran  the  risk.  And  though 
she  did  not  lose  the  faith  herself,  yet  it  would  seem  that  her 
son  grew  up  without  the  practice  of  it,  for  he  was  not  cir- 
cumcised, as  by  the  law  he  should  have  been  on  the  eighth 
day  after  his  birth. 

Most  probably  Timothy,  in  his  boyhood,  was  neither  a 
Jew  nor  a  Gentile,  but  half  and  half ;  not  caring  much  for 
either.  He  was  raised  up  in  indifference,  for  the  faith  of 
his  mother  was  chilled  by  his  father's  unbelief. 

Still,  through  the  mercy  of  God  he  received  the  grace  of 
conversion,  and  therein  his  example  differs  from  that  of  so 
many  others,  who  are  born  of  mixed  marriages. 

The  Church  very  wisely  discountenances  the  union  of  any 
of  her  children  with  Infidels  or  false  believers.  And  no 
Catholic  should,  except  for  the  very  gravest  cause,  ever 
dream  of  accompanying  to  the  altar  any  but  one  of  his  own 
faith. 

The  husband  and  wife,  who  ought  to  be  twain  in  one  flesh, 
cannot  be  so  in  the  strict  sense,  whilst  one  is  a  Catholic  and 
the  other  an  unbeliever. 

Not  many  miles  away  from  where  the  writer  now  resides, 
there  was  a  sectarian  preacher  married  to  a  Catholic  lady. 
Whether  he  took  to  preaching  after  the  union  or  before  it, 
we  have  not  been  able  to  learn.  At  any  rate,  the  faith  of 
his  wife  he  felt  to  be   a  drawback  to   his  own   success  as  a 


428  ALETHAURION. 

pulpit  thumper,  so  he  tried   to  *' convert"  her,  and   took  a 

novel  way  of   doing  it.     On   Fridays   he  would   sometimes 

seize  hold  of  her  around  the  neck,  force  meat  into  her  mouth 

^nd  almost  ram   it  down   the  poor   woman's   throat.     Her 

modesty  kept  her   a  long  time   from  exposing   the   wretch  ; 

but,  the  persecution  continued,  she  could  not  stand  it  always 

and  she  left  him.     This  is  an  extreme  case,  but  it  should  be 

a  warning. 

"  Bear  not  the  yoke  together  with  unbelievers."  says  St.  Paul,  ''  for 
what  participation  hath  justice  with  injustice?  Or  what  fellowship  hath 
light  with  darkness?  "    II  Cor.  vi,  14. 

Heretics,  on  the  other  hand,  have  nothing  like  this  to  fear 
from  Catholics,  for  no  priest  nor  bishop  will  receive  an  adult 
into  the  Church  unless  siich  person  first  makes  a  free  and 
open  confession  that  he  believes  everything  the  Church  teach- 
es. We  respect  conscience,  even  where  we  have  good  rea- 
son to  suppose  that  it  is  benumbed  by  pride  and  worldliness. 
We  leave  judgment  of  such  matter  to  Him  who  sees  the 
heart,  and  make  use  of  means  that  are  righteous  beyond  all 
suspicion,  satisfied,  as  we  are,  that  a  hypocritical  convert  is 
worse  than  an  avowed  Infidel. 

After  having  confirmed  the  brethren  at  Derbe,  Paul, 
Silas  and  Timothy  visited  the  other  Churches  of  Asia 
Minor.  But,  when  they  had  come  to  where  stood  the  city  of 
ancient  Troy,  Paul  was  admonished,  in  a  vision,  to  pass 
over  into  Macedonia.  They  accordingly  took  shipping,  and, 
in  due  jtime,  arrived  at  Neapolis,  and  thence  proceeded  to 
Philippi,  the  chief  town.  Here  he  converted  a  woman 
named  Lydia,  a  seller  of  purple,  and  baptized  not  only  her- 
self but  her  whole  family,  in  which,  we  may  reasonably  pre- 
sume, there  were  some  children  who  had  not  come  to  the  age 
of  reason. 

There,  also,  he  came  into  contact  with  that  pythoness  or 
clairvoyant  mentioned  in  a  former  chapter.  Whether  the 
demon  by  which  she  was  possessed,  gave  testimony  to  the 
truth  on    that  occasion,  of  his  own  free  will,   or  whether  he 


ALETIIAURION.  429 

was  compelled  to  do  so  by  a  higher  power,  is  a  question  that 
might  challenge  inspection. 

Taking  all  the  circumstances  of  the  case  into  considera- 
tion, it  would  appear  that  he  was  forced  to  make  the  con- 
fession. Still,  he  may  have  done  it  for  sinister  purposes, 
known  to  himself. 

Infidels  and  heretics  sometimes  speak  and  write  fine  things 
of  the  Catholic  Church,  and  yet  their  praises  do  us  no  good 
because  a  nimbus  of  insincerity  overshadows  the  picture. 

Who  knows  but  this  demon  may  have  thus  introduced 
St.  Paul  for  the  express  purpose  of  paralyzing  his  influ- 
ence or  of  getting  him  into  trouble  with  the  owner  of  the 
pythoness.  If  he  had  the  latter  object  in  view,  he  certainly 
succeeded  to  a  nicety,  for  St.  Paul  was  publicly  scourged 
and  thrown  into  prison  on  account  of  her.  Nevertheless,  it 
may  have  been  at  the  other  object  he  w^as  aiming,  viz  :  To 
put  a  suspicion  of  fraud  from  the  start  on  whatever  the 
Apostle  might  say. 

It  is  well  known  that  the  devil  can  never  tell  a  story 
story  straight,  and  without  doubt  those  who  knew  the 
pythoness  and  heard  her  prophecies,  w^ere  fully  aware  that 
she  often  mixed  up  the  leaven  of  falsehood  with  many  things 
that  were  true.  Hence  their  faith  in  her  entire  veracity 
was  not  unbounded,  and  Satan  knew  well  that  her  testi- 
mony in  favor  of  the  Apostles  would  be  recieved  by  the 
Pagans  with  a  sardonic  grin,  and  a  large  grain  of  salt. 

Whilst  in  prison,  which  was  only  for  one  night,  St.  Paul 
converted  and  baptized  the  jailer,  with  his  whole  family. 

After  a  careful  consideration  of  the  facts  and  circum- 
stances of  this  conversion,  as  given  in  Acts  xvi,  it  will 
readily  occur  to  the  reader  that  baptism  on  the  occasion 
must  have  been  administered  either  by  sprinkling  or  by 
pouring,  unless,  perchance,  the  authorities  kept  a  hogs- 
head of  water  for  the  purpose  of  ducking  the  prisoners — a 
supposition  that  must  not  be  too  readily  entertained,  for 
that  method  of  punishment  is  rather  a  modern  invention. 


430  ALETHAURION. 

In  our  next  we  accompany  St.  Paul  to  Thessalonica  and 
Berea. 


CHAPTER   CI. 


ST.    PAUL   AT    THESSALONICA   AND    BEREA. 

Leaving  Philippi,  Paul  and  his  two  companions.  Silas 
and  Timothy,  came  to  tlie  city  of  Thessalonica. 

According  to  custom  he  began  the  work  of  evangelizing 
in  one  of  the  synagogues,  with  the  usual  result. 

Many  of  the  Jews  and  Gentiles  believed,  but  those  who 
did  not,  raised  a  tumult,  which  made  it  unsafe  to  remain 
longer  with  them. 

Instead  of  meeting  him  in  argument,  and  showing  that 
Iiis  reasoning  was  fallacious,  they  had  recourse  to  a  much 
better  plan. 

They  went  to  the  civil  magistrates,  and  complained  that 
Paul  was  preaching  contrary  to  the  decrees  of  Cesar, 
''saying  that  there  is  another  King  Jesus."     Acts,  xvi,  7. 

Let  the  reader  here  take  notice  of  the  villainy  of  those 
Jews  of  Thessalonica.  In  their  hearts  they  hated  Cesar, 
but  were  willing  then  to  show  great  zeal  in  his  behalf,  in 
order  to  crush  the  Apostle,  and  they  succeeded. 

This  same  thing  has  happened  time  and  again  in  every 
age  of  the  w^orld's  history,  since  Christ  lived  on  earth. 
The  enemies  of  truth,  with  an  eye  to  present  success,  have 
accused  the  Apostles  and  their  successors,  even  to  the  pres- 
ent day,  of  being  hostile  to  CiEAR.  In  this  country,  where 
we  have  no  C.Esar,  in  the  literal  sense,  the  calumny  takes 
another  shape.  The  Catholic  Church,  say  the  enemies  of 
the  Gospel,  is  inimical  to  civil  liberty.  It  is  the  same  old 
lie,  put  in  different  words. 

It  is  astonishing  that  well-meaning  heretics,  whilst  read- 
ing the  New  Testament,  especially  the  Acts  and  Epistles  of 


ALETIIAUKIOX.  431 

the  Apostles,  do  not  at  once  see  and  recognize  the  identity 
of  the  Roman  Chuivli  of  the  i)rescMit  day  with  that  of  whicli 
Paul  was  so  distinguished  a  champion. 

Why  is  it  that  the  sects  do  not  meet  with  the  same  oppo- 
sition from  the  World,  the  Flesh  and  the  Devil  that  we  have 
to  encounter? 

It  is  because  the  World,  the  Flesh  and  the  Devil  see  in 
them  nothing  but  shams,  too  ridiculous  to  call  for  serious 
attention,  and  of  parts  too  incoherent  to  exert  any  salutary 
force. 

From  Thessalonica  Paul  went  to  Berea,  a  town  forty-five 
miles  distant. 

Now,  those  Jews  of  Berea  were  more  noble  than  they  of 
Thessalonica,  and  for  this  reason:  Instead  of  opposing 
Paul  by  calumny  and  misrepresentation,  they  listened  to 
^vhat  he  said  about  Christ,  believed  his  teachings,  and  to 
strengthen  themselves  yet  more,  by  making  their  faith  a 
reasonable  one,  they  examined  those  parts  of  the  ancient 
prophecies  which  the  Apostle  had  commented  upon. 

Those  Bereans  may  be  likened  to  many  excellent  men  and 
women  of  our  own  times,  who,  though  brought  up  in  heresy 
and  presumptions  ignorance,  have,  upon  hearing  a  Catholic 
sermon  or  reading  some  Catholic  book,  been  led  to  examine 
the  sacred  writings  with  a  more  critical  eye,  and  finally  to 
enter  the  true  fold. 

These  may  be  also  said  to  be  more  noble  of  soul  than 
those  of  their  brethren  who  are  content  to  remain  in  heresy, 
and  calumniate  the  Church  of  Rome  as  an  excuse  for  their 
obstinacy. 

But,  when  the  Jews  in  Thessalonica  had  knowledge  that 
the  Word  of  God  was  also  preached  by  Paul  at  Berea,  they 
came  thither,  stirring  up  and  disturbing  the  multitude.  •  Acts, 
xvii,  13. 

He  was  once  more  obliged  to  beat  a  hasty  retreat.  So 
turning  his  face  southward,  he  departed  for  Athens.  Before 
we  accompany   him  thither,  it  may  be  well   to   make   an 


432  ALETHAUEION. 

observation  concerning  those  Jews  of  Berea  who  were  **moie 
noble*'  than  they  of  Thessalonica. 

Some  modern  heretics  have  very  much  abused  this  scrii)- 
ture  testimony.  They  wish  to  make  it  appear  that  the  reason 
why  the  Bereans  were  praised  was  because  they  did  not 
beheve  Paul's  preaching  until  they  had  examined  the 
scriptures,  to  see  whether  he  was  right  or  wrong. 

Now,  such  an  interpretation  is  contradicted  by  the  con- 
text and  the  circumstances  of  the  case. 

Certainly  it  would  have  been  strange  in  Luke^  the  writer 

of  Acts,  to  have  called  any  one  noble  who  refused  to  believe 

or  set  up  his  own  private  judgment  against  the  teaching  of 

an  inspired  Apostle.     True  nobility  consists  in  believing  at 

once  what  God  has  revealed,  because  His  authorized  agents 

can  teach  only  what  is  in  conformity  with  the  natural  law, 

inscribed   upon   the   heart   of    man    from   the    beginning. 

Hence,  it  is  a  sure  proof,  where  one  disbelieves,  or  hesitates 

to  accept  the  truth  fairly  proposed,  that  his  heart  is  not  right 

in  the  sight   of  God — that  he  is  a  crooked  tube,  through 

which  the  sun's  light  will  not  pass. 

*'He  that  doth  not  believe  is  ah-eady  judged,  because  he  believeth  not  in 
the  name  of  the  only  begotten  Son  of  God.  And  this  is  the  judgment, 
because  the  light  is  come  into  the  world,  and  men  loved  darkness  better 
than  light ;  for  their  Avorks  were  evil.  For  every  one  that  doth  evil,  hat- 
eth  the  light,  and  cometh  not  to  the  light,  that  his  works  may  not  be  re- 
proved. But  he  that  doth  truth,  cometh  to  the  light,  that  his  works  may 
be  made  manifest  because  they  are  done  in  God."' — (John  iii,  18-21.) 

Let  the  reader  draw  on  his  experience,  and  he  will  find 
that  the  more  ready  a  man  is  to  reject  the  Gospel,  the  proner 
he  also  will  be  to  accept  error  of  almost  any  kind.  A 
crooked  man  will  believe  a  liar  far  sooner  than  he  will  an 
Apostle. 

The  followins  incident  was  related  to  the  writer  some 
seven  years  ago,  by  a  man  named  Durbin,  who  then  lived, 
and  may  be  does  yet,  on  the  Irvin  road,  about  six  miles 
beyond  Eichmond,  in  this  State  :  *'When  I  was  a  boy,''  said 
he,  *'my   father   had   a  farm  up  in  the  neighborhood   of 


ALETHAURION.  433 

Station  Camp,  and  one  summer  there  came  to  the  place  a 
strange  preacher,  who  held  protracted  meetings,  and  set  the 
whole  country  'round  about  almost  wild  with  religious 
excitement.  After  he  had  baptized  several  hundred  persons 
in  the  creeks  and  pools  around  there,  one  morning  he  turned 
up  missing,  though  a  large  crowd  stood  awaiting  his  arrival 
at  the  meeting  house;  and  not  a  few  were  there  in  mourn- 
er's rig,  ready  to  go  into  the  pond  to  be  dipped.  On 
toward  noon,  before  the  assembly  had  dispersed,  some  well- 
aijmed  strangers  rode  up  and  made  inquiry  in  regard  to  the 
whereabouts  of  a  man  who,  under  the  guise  of  a  preacher, 
had  been  doing  a  large  business  in  horse-flesh.  They  were 
oflficers  of  the  law,  and  the  supposed  preacher  was  a  horse- 
thief.  His  confederates  would  slip  off  with  the  best  ani- 
mals, whilst  he  was  expounding  the  Bible  inside  the 
meeting-house,  at  night.  But  during  his  brief  missionary 
career,  there  were  more  searchers  of  the  Scripture  around 
that  locality  than  were  ever  known  before  or  since." 

To  search  the  Scriptures,  of  itself,  ennobles  no  one. 
Witness  the  Pharisees  of  old,  to  whom  the  Saviour  said: 

'*You  search  the  Scriptures,  for  you  think  in  them  to  have  life  everlast- 
ing, and  the  same  are  they  that  give  testimony  of  me,  and  you  will  not 
come  to  me  that  you  may  have  life." — John  v,  39. 

Some  heretics  and  infidels  do  also,  in  our  day,  search  the 
Scriptures  but  without  the  proper  spirit,  and  hence,  like  the 
Pharisees,  they  derive  no  good  from  them. 

Still,  those  who  have  recourse  to  the  Bible  to  find  argu- 
ments against  the  Church,  like  those  Bereans  spoke  of,  are 
in  a  sense  more  noble  than  others  who,  like  the  Thessalonian 
Jews,  rely  altogether  upon  trickery,  misrepresentations  and 
lies. 

But  truly  noble  is  he  who,  having  received  the  virtue  of 
faith  in  baptism,  reads  the  Scriptures  with  a  contrite  and 
humble  heart,  by  that  light  which  the  Church  holds  aloft, 
that  all  may  see  and  know  the  Truth. 


434  ALETHAURION. 

In   our   next   we  will  take  a  view  of   St.    Paul,  as  he 
appeared  amongst  the  philosophers  and  statesmen  of  Athens. 


CHAPTER  CII. 


ST.  PAUL  PREACHES  THE  GOSPEL  TO  THE  ATHENIANS HE  CON- 
VERTS DIONYSIUS,  THE  AREOPAGITE,  AND  OTHERS  TO 
THE  FAITH. 

Athens  was,  in  many  respects,  the  most  remarkable  cit}* 
of  ancient  times.  Though  at  no  period  of  its  history  very 
large  ;  its  citizens  had  for  ages  the  reputation  of  being  the 
most  learned  and  refined  of  the  human  race. 

From  their  lofty  perch  they  looked  down  with  complacency 
and  contempt  upon  all  outside  barbarians.  And  even  the 
other  cities  of  Greece,  they  were  disposed  to  regard  with 
feelings  akin  to  pity. 

They  had  models  of  excellence  in  almost  every  department 
at  home,  which  made  them  imagine  that,  though  Athens 
might  teach,  it  had  nothing  to  learn  from  others. 

Solon  was  their  law-giver  ;  Homer  their  poet ;  Miltiades, 
Themistocles,  and  Cimon  their  warriors ;  Socrates  and 
Plato  their  philosophers ;  Phidias  and  Praxiteles  their 
sculptors.  Demosthenes  and  ^schines  illustrated  in  their 
speeches,  what  an  orator  should  be ;  whilst  ^schylus, 
SoPHACLES  and  Euripides  wooed  the  tragic  muse  with  a 
success  unparalleled  in  days  of  yore. 

They  had  the  typical  statesman  in  Pericles  ;  Thucydides 
told  the  story  of  their  deeds  of  valor,  and  told  it  well ;  the 
sarcastic  Aristophanes  made  them  laugh  at  folly ;  and 
Alcibiades  furnished  them  with  the  beau  ideal  of  a  fast 
young  man. 

Thus,  it  will  be  seen,  that  the  Athenians  had  good  reason 
for  being  pleased  with  themselves  and  their  city.     No  other 


ALETHAURION.  435 

did  before,  or  has  to  this  day,  produced  such  an  array  of 
unmistakable  geuius. 

When  we  recollect  that  the  little  children  on  the  streets, 
and  even  the  wharf-rats  and  gutter-snipes  around  Pirceus, 
spoke  sweeter  Greek  than  our  most  learned  professors,  we 
will  experience  no  pang  in  withdrawing  from  the  race,  and 
yielding  by  acclamation,  the  palm  to  Athens.  True  it  is 
that  Philip  chastised  them  at  Cheronea,  and  the  Romans 
drubbed  them  in  after  years ;  still,  their  vanity  was  great, 
for  past  glories  will  gild  the  captive's  chain,  and  throw  a 
halo  around  his  dungeon. 

The  Athenian  Republic  was  the  purest  democracy  that  has 
€ver  been,  and  its  free  citizens,  taken  as  a  body,  the  most 
learned  and  critical  ever  known. 

When  an  orator  mounted  the  stand  in  the  agora,  to 
address  the  people,  he  had  to  be  choice  in  his  words  and 
pronunciation,  or  else  be  whistled  down  by  his  hearers. 

The  story  is  told,  in  classical  literature,  that  Demosthe- 
nes once  played  a  shrewd  trick  on  his  great  rival,  ^schines. 

When  delivering  his  speech  **0n  the  Crown,"  he  asked 
the  people  to  say  whether  ^Eschixes  was  not  a  hireling : 
mhthotts — putting  the  accent  on  the  second  syllable  ;  they, 
hearing  the  word  mispronounced,  cried  out  at  once  mistho- 
tes !  misthotes !  putting  the  accent  on  the  final  where  it 
belonged. 

It  was  to  this,  people  puffed  up  with  vain  admiration  of 
themselves  and  of  their  ancestors,  that  Paul  came  with  the 
hope  of  leading  them  to  the  light  of  faith.  Humanly  speak- 
ing, the  prospect  of  success  was  faint.  Intellectually,  Paul 
might  have  been,  and  probably  was,  the  equal  of  any  of 
their  great  heroes  or  sages ;  but  he  was  a  Jew,  with  an 
uncouth  accent,  and  his  words  and  sentences  wanted  the 
grace  and  polish  of  those  to  which  their  ears  had  been  long 
accustomed. 

The  philosophers  and  statesmen  of  Athens,  looked  for 
nothing  in  the  line  of  knowledore  from  outside  barbarians. 


I 


436  ALETHAURION. 

And  sooner  would  Jay  Gould  ask  advice  in  finance,  of  the 
humblest  brakeman  in  his  employ,  than  an  Epicurean  or 
Stoic,  would  think  of  consulting  a  Jew,  to  learn  the  nature 
or  genealogy  of  the  immortal  gods. 

But  truth  is  mighty  and  will  prevail  As  the  stars  grow 
pale  when  the  day  has  dawned,  so  has  Grecian  philosophy 
lost  its  luster  before  a  superior  light ;  and  Grecian  culture  is 
hollow  and  counterfeit,  as  compared  with  Christian  civiliza- 
tion. 

Paul  has  supplanted  Plato  ;  and  Socrates,  with  his  cup 
of  hemlock,  ordering  the  sacrifice  of  a  cock  to  Esculapius, 
has  ceased  to  be  a  model. 

Having  arrived  at  Athens,  Paul  sent  word  to  Silas  and 
Timothy  to  come  to  him.  No  doubt  he  felt  somewhat 
isolated,  and,  before  beginning  work,  he  wished  to  have  the 
support  and  encouragement  of  his  two  friends  and  co- 
laborers. 

''Whilst  he  waited  for  them  at  Athens,  his  spirit  was  ex- 
cited within  him,  seeing  the  city  given  up  to  idolatry.'^ 
Acts  xvii,  16. 

But,  like  the  valiant  soldier  that  he  was,  he  could  not  let 
his  s\vord  rest  in  its  scabbard,  with  the  enemy  before  him 
and  anxious  for  the  fray.  An  Athenian  was  always  ready 
for  a  dispute,  so,  considering  the  natural  bent  of  Paul's 
mind,  and  his  zeal  for  religion,  they  must  have  had  a  lively 
time  at  Athens  while  he  stayed  there.  When  Greek  meets 
Greek,  then  comes  the  tug  of  war. 

He  began,  as  usual,  in  the  synagogues  amongst  the  Jews, 
but  did  not  neglect  the  Pagans.  Every  day  in  the  market 
place,  the  people  flocked  around  to  heai,  to  them,  a  new 
story  about  the  true  God,  and  the  incarnation,  birth,  life, 
miracles,  death,  resurrection  and  ascension  of  His  Son. 

The  philosophers  who  frequented  the  agors^  to  make  a 
display  of  their  learning,  and  be  refreshed  with  the  praises 
of  the  bystanders,  could  not  long  endure  seeing  a  mere  Jew, 


ALETHAURION.  437 

with  a  foreign  accent,  drawing  attention  away  from  them- 
selves. 

Hence,  they  disputed  with  him,  but  soon  discovered  they 
had  mistaken  their  man.  He  appeared  not  only  familiar 
with  their  different  schools  of  philosophy,  but  there  was  also 
a  certain  indefinite  superiority  in  his  conceptions  which  para- 
lyzed argumentative  opposition. 

They  found  themselves  checkmated,  and  all  their  philoso- 
phical pieces  worthless,  after  a  few  rapid  and  brilliant  moves 
on  the  part  of  their  opponent. 

One  of  them,  with  a  face  flushed  with  anger,  and  still 
writhins:  from  the  lash,  called  Paul  nothing  but  a  babbler. 

Others  who  stood  by  listening,  stole  off  quietly,  and  on 
being  asked  who  this  man  was  that  created  so  much  talk, 
replied  somewhat  more  respecf  uUy  :  <*He  seemeth  to  be  a 
publisher  of  new  gods.''     Acts,  xvii,  18. 

An  old  tradition  amongst  the  Greeks,  to  which  the  writer 
does  not,  however,  attribute  any  historical  importance,  ia- 
forms  us  that  the  name  of  the  Epicurean  snuffed  out  by  the 
Apostle  on  the  occasion  alluded  to,  was  Boroxtes. 

From  the  derivation  of  the  word,  we  would  be  led  to  sup- 
pose that  he  must  have  been  a  great  eater  and  drinker — 
boros,  in  Greek,  signifying  edacious. 

But,  on  account  of  a  habit  he  had  when  speaking  in  pub- 
lic, of  whining  and  trying  to  excite  the  pity  of  his  hearers, 
an  attic  wit  of  the  day,  called  him  Boroxtes  Mega  to 
Brepiios  ;  in  English,  Boroxter,  the  hig  pappoose.  From 
his  mother,  a  Cretan,  he  inherited  a  disposition  to  lie,  and 
from  his  father,  a  Boeotian,  the  inability  to  cover  up  his 
tracks. 

He  held  the  office  of  Epistates,  or  Mayor,  in  one  of  the 
little  country  towns,  until,  having  become  thoroughly  odious 
to  the  people,  on  account  of  his  avarice  and  venality,  he 
was  obliged  to  fly  from  the  place  at  night  to  Athens,  for 
protection. 


438  ALETHAURION. 

There  he  started  a  sort  of  business  house,  which  was  a  com- 
promise between  a  bank,  a  pawn,  and  a  note-shaving  establish- 
ment. But,  he  was  universally  despised,  and  many  secretly 
rejoiced,  when  Paul  covered  the  impudent  fellow  with  con- 
fusion. 

A  victory  over  such  a  man  is,  at  best,  not  worth  talking 
about ;  it  is  simply  abating  a  nuisance,  and  nothing  more. 

The  big  pappoose  having  been  disposed  of,  some  of  the 
other  philosophers  invited  Paul  to  give  a  regular  discourse 
on  the  Hill  of  Mars,  in  the  presence  of  the  chief  men  of  the 
city.  He  readily  assented,  and  his  discourse  must  have  been 
a  master-piece,  for  he  converted  Dionysius,  one  of  the 
judges  ;  also  a  woman  named  Damaris,  and  others. 

Dionysius  or  Dennis  was  ordained  Bishop  of  Athens  by 
the  Apostle,  and  according  to  Eusebius  iv,  25,  it  seems  that 
he  suffered  martyrdom  for  the  faith. 

But  whether  or  not  he  succeeded  in  converting  the  big 
pappoose,  is  a  matter  on  which  history  and  tradition  are  both 
silent. 

In  our  next  we  accompany  the  great  Apostle  to  Corinth. 


CHAPTER  CHI, 


ST.  PAUL  AT  CORINTH. 

•  Leaving  Athens,  Paul  came  to  Corinth,  one  of  the  prin- 
cipal cities  of  Greece,  and  at  that  time  a  place  of  consider- 
able commercial  importance. 

Finding  there  a  converted  Jew  named  Aquila,  a  tent 
maker  by  trade,  he  stayed  with  him,  working  during  the 
week  at  the  same  business  ;  but  on  the  SubbatK,  disputing 
in  the  synagogue,  and  persuading  the  Jews  and  the  Greeks. 

Before  going  further,  it  may  be  well  to  make  here  an  ob- 
servation about  Paul's  example  in   doing  manual   labor. 


ALETIIAURION.  439 

Whatever  an  Apostle  is  known  to  have  done,  one  may  do 
again,  without  danger  of  disgrace,  or  even  impropriety. 

Hence,  manual  labor  dishonors  no  one  who  has  not  other 
means  of  gaining  a  livelihood. 

The  disciple  is  not  above  the  master,  and  our  masters  and 
teachers  under  Christ  are  the  Apostles. 

So  far,  the  theory  and  the  principles  involved  ;  now  for 
the  practice : 

There  are  some  greedy,  groveling  men,  who  are  so  wTapt 
up  in  the  rags  and  enamored  of  the  trash  of  this  world  that 
they  may  be  said  to  be  but  little  above  mere  animals. 

As  swine  feeding  on  acorns  under  a  tree  never  look  up  to 
the  branches  fi-om  which  their  food  descends,  so  those  men 
enjoy  what  they  have  in  coarse  delight,  and  never  raise  their 
thouj]jhts  to  God  from  whom  all  blessinjjs  flow. 

When  asked  to  do  something  for  the  advancement  of  re- 
ligion, their  text  is  ready,  and  their  excuse  formulated. 

**Paul,"  they  say,  ** worked  with  his  own  hands  on  week 
days,  then  preached  on  the  Sabbath.  Why  don't  the  minis- 
ters now  do  likewise,  and  let  the  gospel  be  free  for  every- 
one?'* 

Some  wit  once  said,  that  farthings  were  first  coined  in 
order  to  give  Scotchmen  a  chance  to  contribute  to  orphan 
asylums  ;  and  we  may  say  of  the  text  in  question,  that  St. 
Luke  must  have  written  it  on  purpose  to  give  such  people 
just  the  shadow  of  an  excuse  for  their  meanness. 

The  writer  has  heard  of  a  clergyman,  who,  during  the 
week,  plows  in  the  field,  shucks  corn,  feeds  the  hogs,  looks 
after  the  chickens  and  turkeys,  and,  on  Sundays,  oflSciates 
in  stoga  boots — unpolished. 

His  mode  of  life  would  seem  to  be  apostolic  and  primitive 
enough  for  even  the  most  exacting;  and,  if  he  lived  in  a 
coninuinity  where  all  were  Pagans,  unwilling  to  contribute 
anything  for  his  support,  he  would  be  deseiTmg  of  high 
honor,  and  entitled  to  be  ranked  almost  with  the  Apostles. 

But,  where  the  faith  is  already  planted,  such  primitiveness 


440  ALETHAURION. 

is  not  praiseworthy.  A  clergyman's  labor  lies  in  the  field  of 
thought,  not  in  the  cornfield.  He  is,  by  his  profession,  a 
fisher  of  men,  not  a  feeder  of  swine.  His  cares  are  of  an 
exalted  and  spiritual  nature,  not  to  be  wasted  on  chickens 
and  ducks. 

The  same  Apostle  Paul,  though,  from  all  we  can  learn  of 
him,  not  disposed  at  any  time  to  say  a  great  deal  about 
money,  yet  did  not  fail  in  his  day  to  read  the  law  to  the 
faithful  on  this  very  subject  : 

*' Know  you  not,"  said  he,  "  that  they  who  work  in  the  holy  place, 
and  they  who  serve  the  altar,  partake  with  the  altar?"  '' So  also  the 
Lord  ordained  that  they  who  preach  the  gospel  should  live  of  the  gospel." 
I  Cor.  ix.,  13-14. 

The  faithful  have  a  duty  to  fulfill.  And,  certainly,  no 
Catholic  should  look  upon  himself  as  sinless  who  does  not, 
according  to  his  means,  contribute  to  the  support  of  his  re- 
ligion. Still,  it  is  better  to  say  not  enough  than  too  much 
on  this  subject. 

It  is  a  truth  confirmed  by  the  experience  of  many,  that 
the  vast  majority  of  the  faithful  do  their  duty  in  this  respect, 
and  do  it  willingly ;  witness  the  many  splendid  church 
edifices,  schools,  hospitals  and  asylums  throughout  the  land. 
These  are  proofs  of  a  great  power  behind  the  throne,  and 
they  show  the  tender  love  and  respect  of  Catholics  for  their 
holy  faith. 

Occasionally  a  curmudgeon  is  met  with,  like  that  rich  old 
widow  lady  in  one  of  the  lower  counties.  She  sent  her  pas- 
tor on  New  Years'  day,  in  recognition  of  services  for  twelve 
months  passed,  two  pippin  apples  and  a  coil  of  sausage  meat 
— with  her  compliments. 

There  is  another  matter  also  in  this  connection,  which  those 
advocates  of  a  free  gospel  do  not  appear  to  take  into  consid- 
eration. The  Apostles  had  no  need  of  study  to  prepare 
themselves  to  announce  the  truth  to  the  nations. 

Their  knowledge  came  by  divine  inspiration.  They  were 
even  forbidden  to  think  beforehand,  what  they  should  say 


ALETHAURION.  441 

when  brought  before  kings  and  rulers.  **It  will  be  given 
jou  in  that  hour,"  said  the  Saviour,  **  what  you  shall  speak." 
Matt.  X,  19. 

Possibly,  were  we  of  the  present  day  brought  into  the 
presence  of  such  people,  to  answer  for  the  faith  that  is  in  us, 
the  Holy  Spirit  would  also  teach  us  what  to  say.  Yet,  it 
would  not  be  wise  nor  profitable  to  make  a  practice  of  going 
up  into  the  pulpit  Sunday  after  Sunday,  and  blurting  out 
the  first  thins  that  came  into  one's  mouth. 

To  preach  the  gospel  reasonably  well,  requires  not  alone  a 
certain  natural  aptitude,  but  also  persistent  and  faithful 
study — unless,  indeed,  one  should  take  the  risk  of  being  de- 
tected in  the  fraud  of  preaching,  and  passing  off  as  his  own, 
what  another  has  written. 

Hence,  the  practice  common  from  early  ages  of  exempting 
ecclesiastics  from  military  duty,  and  from  all  kinds  of 
manual  labor,  is  not  only  a  mark  of  respect ;  it  is  wise 
withal. 

The  man  who  passes  the  week  amongst  cattle  and  hogs, 
followed  through  the  fields  by  a  flock  of  gobbling  turkeys, 
will  rarely  have  those  finer  qualities  of  mind,  those 
adornments  that  are  justly  looked  for  around  the  altar. 
His  person  and  his  thoughts  may  recall  memories  of  the 
hay-rick  and  stable,  but  they  will  not  instruct,  refine  and 
ennoble. 

To  gain  this  knowledge  which  should  adorn  the  minis- 
terial character,  time  is  required ;  and  not  that  alone,  but 
freedom,  to  a  considerable  degree,  from  wordly  cares  and 
anxieties. 

'^  The  lips  of  the  priest  shall  keep  knowledge/'  says  the  Prophet  Mala- 
ciiY,  "  and  they  shall  seek  the  lau'  at  his  mouth,  because  he  is  the  angel 
of  the  Lord  of  hosts.''    Chap,  ii,  7. 

The  foregoing  observations  may  serve  to  convict  of  folly, 

those  whose  only  show  of  religious  zeal  consists  in  finding 

fault,    and   being   more   apostolic   in  talk  at  least,  than  the 

Apostles  themselves  would  be  were  they  now  living. 


442  ALETHAURION. 

Paul  stayed  one  year  and  six  months  at  Corinth,  preach- 
ing the  gospel  and  disputing  with  the  Jews  and  Gentiles  pro- 
miscuously. The  former,  seeing  that  ihe  apostle  always  got 
the  better  of  them  in  a  debate,  and  that  he  was  drawins: 
many  to  believe  in  Christ,  did  not  fail  to  have  recourse  at 
last  to  physical  arguments.  <• 

Cunning  is  a  characteristic  of  weakness,  candor  of 
strength.  Error  has  many  arts,  trutli  is  all  simplicity — yet, 
truth  conquers  in  the  end.  The  fox  has  more  tricks  than  the 
lion,  but  the  lion  is  king  nevertheless. 

So  with  the  Jews  and  Paul.  They  brought  him  before 
the  Governor,  or  Pro-Consul  Gallio,  and  accused  him  of 
persuading  men  to  worship  God  contrary  to  the  law  of 
Moses. 

Now  Gallio,  who  was  a  Pagan,  knew  probably  as  much 
about  Moses  and  the  law  as  one  of  our  country  magistrates 
does  about  Chancellor  Kent  and  his  commentaries.  But  he 
was  a  different  man  from  Poxxius  Pilate,  and  the  Jews 
found  they  could  not  use  him  as  a  tool  to  work  iniquity. 

He  listened  patiently  to  what  they  they  had  to  say,  until 
he  found  it  was  all  nothing  but  a  wrangle  about  points  of 
belief.  Then  he  drove  them  off,  telling  them  he  would  not 
be  judge  in  such  matters. 

Alono:  with  beinof  a  fair-minded  man,  Gallio  must  also 
have  been  somewhat  of  a  wag,  able  to  enjoy  a  joke  when  he 
was  not  too  drunk.  For  after  he  had  dismissed  the  case  a 
fight  ensued  between  the  Jews  in  the  court-house  ;  to  which, 
it  is  said,  Gallio  paid  no  heed. 

Most  likely  the  old  Pagan  chuckled  heartily  at  seeing 
those  zealous  idiots  cracking  one  another's  heads — all  for  the 
love  of  Moses  and  the  Law. 

In  our  next  we  follow  St.  Paul  to  Ephesus. 


ALETHAURION.  443 


CHAPTER  CIV 


ST.  PAUL  AT  EPHESUS. 

Leavinff  Athens  Paul  visited  some  of  those  churches 
founded  by  him,  in  Asia  Minor ;  then  he  went  to  Syria,  and 
finally  returned  again  to  labor  amongst  the  Greeks. 

He  pitched  his  tent  at  Ephcsus,  and  opened  the  campaign 
with  some  disciples  of  John  the  Baptist.  These  he  baptized 
**in  the  name  of  the  Lord  Jesus,"  and  also  confirmed  by 
the  imposition  of  hands.     Acts  xix. 

We  have,  in  this  circumstance,  an  argument  against  one 
of  the  errors  of  Luther. 

Relying  on  the  false  principle  that  man  is  justified  by  faith 
alone,  the  heresiarch  taught  that  the  sacraments  are  only 
means  to  excite  our  faith,  and  consequently,  that  the  baptism 
of  JoHX,  and  in  general,  the  sacraments  of  the  Old  Law, 
were  in  no  wise  different,  as  regards  their  eflScacy,  from  those 
of  the  New  Dispensation. 

The  former,  according  to  him,  did  nothing  more  than 
excite  faith  in  a  Redeemer  to  come,  whilst  the  latter  effect 
the  same  in  a  Saviour  already  born  into  the  world. 

The  fact  that  Paul  regenerated  some  of  those  whom  John 
had  baptized,  knocks  the  breath  out  of  Luther's  theory, 
and  shows  conclusively  there  is  a  difference  between  the  bap- 
tism of  John  and  that  of  Christ. 

The  Catholic  doctrine  is  :  That  the  sacraments  of  the  New 
Law,  through  the  merits  and  by  the  will  of  Christ,  confer 
grace  by  a  virtue  inherent  to  themselves — ex  opere  operato, 
as  our  theologians  say. 

A  sword  may  require  a  hand  to  wield  it,  but  it  takes  off 
the  head  of  a  traitor  by  a  power  altogether  its  own. 

It  may  be  proper  here  also  to  call  attention  to  another 
matter.     It  is  said  that  Paul  baptized  **  in  the  name  of  the 


4  44  ALETHAURION . 

Lord  Jesus."  Now,  in  the  true  Church,  it  has  always  been 
held  as  essential  to  the  validity  of  baptism,  that  the  names 
of  the  three  divine  persons  be  expressly  invoked. 

Some  of  our  theologians,  on  the  strength  of  the  text  al- 
ready given,  have  surmised  that  the  Apostles,  by  a  privilege 
peculiar  to  themselves,  did  sometimes  baptize  in  the  name 
of  our  Lord  alone,  omitting  the  express  invocation  of  the 
Father  and  Holy  Ghost. 

Others  deny  this,  and  explain  the  text  by  saying  that  the 
Apostles,  though  using  the  same  form  that  we  do,  some- 
times added  by  way  of  elucidation,  the  name  of  the  Lord 
Jesus. 

Hence,  according  to   the   latter,  the  form  used   on  some 

occasions  by  them  would  be  this  : 

*'  I  baptize  thee  in  the  name  of  the  Father;  and  of  the  Son,  the  Lord 
Jesus;  and  of  the  Holy  Ghost.'' 

This  gives  a  satisfactory  explanation  of  the  text,  and  at 
the  same  time,  relieves  us  of  the  necessity  of  having 
recourse  to  the  theory  of  a  special  privilege  ;  for  which,  in 
truth,  there  seems  to  be  no  solid  foundation. 

We  read  also,  in  this  xix  chapter  of  Acts,  that  when  Paul 
had  imposed  hands  on  those  he  had  baptized,  the  Holy 
Ghost  came  upon  them,  and  they  spoke  tongues,  and  pro- 
phesied. 

Here  we  have  a  clear  proof  of  the  sacrament  of  confirma- 
tion administered  by  an  Apostle.  Consult  also  on  this  head. 
Acts  viii,  17.  Some  of  the  sects  pretend  to  follow  the 
scriptures  as  their  rule  of  faith,  yet  do  not  practice  the  im- 
position of  hands,  so  clearly  taught  in  the  sacred  writings. 

Spiritually,  of  course,  the  imposition  of  a  preacher's  hands 
would  not  amount  to  any  more  than  a  clout  from  a  babboon  ; 
still,  for  the  sake  of  consistency,  it  should  have  been 
retained  in  all  the  sectarian  conventicles. 

Apropos  of  this,  it  may  be  proper  to  write  down  here,  a 
little  circumstance  that  happened  not  long  ago  : 

A  Protestant  lady,  known  by  name  to  the  writer,  formed 


ALETHAURION.  445 

and  expressed  the  intention  of  renouncing  heresy  to  enter 
the  true  Church. 

She  hud  been  reading  the  scriptures  to  some  purpose,  and 
having  found  in  the  sixth  chapter  of  St.  John's  Gospel,  and 
in  other  places  also  of  the  sacred  volume,  such  clear  proofs 
of  the  doctrine  of  the  Real  Presence,  she  came  at  once  to  the 
conclusion  that  her  own  sect  could  not  be  the  Church  of  the 
New  Testament.  This  led  to  further  investigation,  and  she 
resolved  to  become  a  Catholic. 

At  this  stage  of  the  case,  some  of  her  friends  and 
acquaintances,  on  learning  her  intentions,  became  more 
tender  toward  her  than  she  had  ever  before  known  them  to 
be.  All  agreed  that  it  would  be  **  just  awful  to  go  off  and  be- 
come a  Catholic." 

The  local  preacher  was  called  in  ;  but  she  polished  him  off 
so  handsomely,  in  an  argument,  that  he  had  her  prayed  for 
at  meeting,  on  the  following  Sunday. 

Some  that  were  there  prayed  also,  in  silence,  for  the 
preacher  himself  ;  that  he  might  have  light  from  above,  and 
that  he  might  do  less  card  playing  and  more  study. 

But  neither  the  prayers  nor  the  entreaties  of  friends 
seemed  to  count  for  naught ;  the  case  was  becoming  desper- 
ate— inveterate,  so  to  speak.  The  preacher  next  bethought 
himself  of  a  plan  to  still  retain  her  as  a  member  of  his 
church,  and  at  the  same  time,  give  peace  of  conscience  on 
the  subject  of  the  Real  Presence. 

Meeting  her  one  day,  quoth  he  : 

**  Now  you  say  that  unless  one  eats  of  the  flesh  of  the  Son  of  Man,  and 
drink  His  blood  he  cannot  have  life  in  him ;  and  he  that  eats  the  flesh  of 
Jesus  and  drinks  His  blood  abides  in  Christ  and  Christ  in  him,  <S:c.  I 
do  not  forbid  you  to  believe  so,  if  your  conscience  teaches  you  that  such 
is  the  truth.  But  you  can,  without  becoming  a  Catholic,  do  all  that  in 
our  Church,  ever}^time  you  take  the  sacrament.'' 

We  have  heard  of  an  East  Indian  juggler  who  could 
change  a  rupee,  held  tight  in  another  man's  fist,  into  a  Mex- 
ican silver  dollar.  But  that  jugglery  by  which  a  woman  can 
change  a  piece  of  bread  and  some  wine  into  the  real  body 


44(3  ALETHAURION 

and  l)lood  of  Christ  by  a  simple  thought,  takes  the  lead 
and  the  blue  ribbon. 

When  will  those  preachers  ever  learn  that  Christ  gave  to 
the  Apostles  only,  and  to  their  successors,  the  bishops  and 
priests  of  the  Catholic  Church,  the  power  of  forgiving  sins, 
of  transubstantiation,  and,  in  general,  of  dispensing  the 
mysteries  of  God. 

They  are  not  the  successors  of  the  Apostles,  for  they  have 
not  a  line  of  bishops  extending  back  to  apostolic  times  ;  we 
have,  and  therein  lies  the  difference.  A  Catholic  bishop  of 
the  present  day  has  all  the  ordinary  powers  that  Christ 
gave  the  twelve,  because  they  have  been  transmitted  from 
one  prelate  to  another,  down  through  the  arcade  of  ages, 
never  to  cease,  in  the  Church,  until  the  Archangel  shall  have 
sworn  that  time  shall  be  no  more. 

To  return  again  to  the  question  of  confirmation  :  It  is 
stated  that  **  when  Paul  had  imposed  his  hands  on  them, 
the  Holy  Ghost  came  upon  them,  and  they  spoke  tongues 
and  prophesied." 

Such  extraordinary  gifts  were  common  in  the  days  of  the 
Apostles.  Yet,  it  must  not  be  supposed  that  all,  upon 
whom  their  hands  had  been  laid,  received  the  powers 
alluded  to. 

St.  Paul  reminds  us  of  the  contrary.     He  says : 

"And  God,  indeed,  hath  set  some  in  the  Church— first,  apostles; 
secondly,  prophets ;  thirdly,  teachers ;  after  that  miracles,  then  the 
graces  of  healings,  helps,  governments,  kinds  of  tongues,  interpretations 
of  speeches.  Are  all  apostles?  Are  all  prophets?  Are  all  teachers? 
Are  all  workers  of  miracles?  Have  all  the  grace  of  healing?  Do  all 
speak  with  tongues?    Do  all  interpret?  "    1  Cor.  xii,  28-30. 

He  then  tells  the  Corinthians  to  be  zealous  for  better 
gifts,  and  he  would  show  them  a  more  excellent  way.  Infi- 
dels, or  persons  on  the  way  to  unbelief,  sometimes  call 
attention  to  certain  passages  of  Scripture  to  show  that  the 
promises  of  Christ  have  failed. 

"  These  signs,"  said  the  Saviour,  *'  shall  follow  them  that  believe;  in 
my  name  they  shall  cast  out  devils ;  they  shall  speak  with  new  tongues ; 


ALETHAURION.  447 

they  sliall  take  up  serpents;  and  if  they  shall  drink  any  deadly  thing,  it 
shall  not  hurt  thcui ;  they  shall  lay  their  hands  upon  the  sick,  and  they 
«hall  recover.'"    Mark  xvi,  17-lS. 

Such  things  are  not  done  now,  hence  either  there  are  no 
true  believers,  or  else  the  promise  is  a  failure. 

Very  well  for  you,  Mk.  Infidel.  You  quote  scrii)ture 
first  rate,  but  you  made  a  mistake  in  supposing  that  the 
above  promises  are  made  to  each  individual  believer.  They 
are  not  made  to  the  individual,  but  to  that  body,  of  which 
Christ  is  the  head — the  Roman  Catholic  Church.  In  it 
miracles  have  never  ceased,  and  never  will. 

Witness  those  of  Lourdes  and  elsewhere,  at  the  present 
day.  These  cannot  be  called  in  doubt  without  tearing  up 
the  very  fundamental  principles  of  certitude. 

Now  we  challenge  one  and  all  of  the  sects  to  give  us  even 
a  single  well  authenticated  miracle  from  their  past  histories. 
It  will  not  do  for  them  to  look  pious,  and  say  that  the  time 
of  dreams  and  holy  communions  is  passed. 

If  the  day  of  miracles  be  passed,  the  Infidel  is  right,  and 
the  promises  of  Ciikist  are  made  void.  He  did  not  set 
limit,  why  should  we,  since  God  is  the  same,  yesterday, 
to-day,  and  forever. 

The  time  has  never  been  when  a  false  religious  system 
could  produce  a  real  miracle,  and  that  time  will  never  come 
when  it  can. 

St.  Paul's  experience  among  the  silversmiths  at  Ephesus 
will  be  our  next  subject. 


CHAPTER  CV. 


DLAJJA  OF  THE  EPHESIAN8. 

Having  spoken  already  of  miracles,  wo  here  only  call 
attention  to  the  fact,  that  even  those  handkerchiefs  and 
aprons  that  had  touched  the  Apostles'  body,  acquired  the 
virtue  to  cure  diseases  and  to  expel   devils.     Acts,  xix,  12. 


448  AT-ETHAUPJON. 

Heretics  find  fault  with  us  sometimes,  because  we  honor 
not  only  the  saints  themselves,  but  also  their  relics.  They 
read  the  scriptures,  and  receive  them  as  their  rule  of  faith  ; 
yet,  having  eyes,  they  see  not  how  God  Himself,  by  signs 
and  wonders,  has  approved  of  the  honor  thus  given. 

The  descendants  of  Simon  jVIagus  may  sometimes  abuse 
these  things  ;  and  to  peddle  the  Sacramentals  may  to  some, 
appear  less  laborious  and  more  profitable  than  to  preach  the 
gospel ;  but  the  principle  itself  is  sound,  because  clearly 
taught  in  the  scriptures  and  approved  by  the  Church. 

That  a  thing  may  be  abused  is  no  proof  that  it  should  not 
be  used. 

In  this  connection,  we  may  also  briefly  take  note  of  the 
bad  effect  produced  in  the  minds  of  the  people  by  unscru- 
pulous waiters,  whose  eyes  are  ever  open  to  those  human 
imperfections  that  have  ever  been,  and  will  be,  until  the 
end  of  time. 

They  do  not  see  the  good  the  Church  has  done,  and  is 
doing,  as  a  society,  but  are  on  the  alert  to  write  down  and 
publish  abroad  the  short-comings  of  some  individual  who 
may  represent  religion  in  a  peculiar  locality. 
'  Such  writers  are  nothing  but  literary  scavengers.  A  buz- 
zard and  an  eagle  flying  over  the  same  tract  of  country  will 
see  it  differently. 

The  eagle's  eye  will  glance  along  the  silvery  stream,  on 
whose  sedgy  banks  the  wild  duck  seeks  its  food,  or  over  the 
moonlit  lake  where  the  beautiful  swan  loves  to  dwell,  or  it 
penetrates  the  sylvan  shades  to  discover  the  well-rounded 
turkey,  that  perchance,  dreams  not  of  an  enemy.  The 
eagle   sees   only  what   has  life,   and   is   fair   to    the   eye. 

But  the  instincts  of  the  buzzard  are  different.  He  sees 
but  the  putrifying  carcass  ;  and  its  odor,  though  offensive 
to  men,  is  to   him  as  the  sweet   fragrance  of  many  flowers. 

Heretics,  traveling  in  some  of  those  old  Catholic  countries 
of  Europe,  do  often  remind  us  of  carrion  birds.  They  fail 
to  notice  the  sobriety,  justice  and  piety  of  the  masses,  and 


ALETUAURION.  449 

the  patience  with  which  they  await  the  blessed  hope  and  the 
coming  of  the  glory  of  the  great  God,  and  our  Saviour 
Jesus  Christ.- 

The  magnificence  of  Catholic  worship  has  no  charms  for 
them  ;  those  splendid  cathedrals  that  attest  the  zeal  and  piety 
of  generations  long  since  passed  from  earth  to  heaven,  have 
for  them  no  exalting  influence. 

But  let  them  see  an  old  blear-eyed  beggar,  rattling  his  tin 
box  and  asking  for  alms,  by  one  of  the  church  doors  ;  ah  ! 
*  then  they  brighten  up,  the  buzzard  has  found  something 
congenial,  and  he  gloats  over  it. 

If  that  poor  mendicant  has  about  his  person  some  emblem 
that  recalls  to  his  mind  the  atonement  of  the  Son  of  God, 
and  encourages  him  to  look  up  from  the  miseries  of  earth  to 
the  bliss  of  heaven  ;  if  he  wears  about  his  neck  the  relic  of 
some  saint  whose  virtues  he  desires  to  imitate,  so  much  the 
better.  The  buzzard  sees  in  all  such,  only  a  reason  for  his 
poverty. 

Such  things,  however,  do  not  astonish  us  a  great  deal ;  for 
we  have  grown  accustomed  to  the  malice  of  heretics,  and  we 
pity  their  blindness. 

But  when  a  correspondent  of  a  journal  that  has  the  name 
of  being  Catholic,  writes  in  the  same  strain,  and  dishes  up 
to  his  readers  not  the  virtues  of  a  people  that  have  done  so 
much  for  the  faith,  in  our  day  and  generation,  but  the  short- 
comings, real  or  supposed,  of  some  of  their  leading  men  in 
the  Church,  our  feelings  are  of  scorn,  and  we  at  once  repu- 
diate such  a  monster. 

One  enemy  in  camp  is  capable  of  doing  more  harm  than  a 
dozen  without.  We  have  no  use  for  a  Ther sites,  to  stir  up 
dissension  and  disaffection  amongst  believers  in  a  country 
like  this,  where  there  are  so  many  others,  whom  to  save  w^e 
must  first  conquer. 

If  anv  one  of  the  faithful  has  a  srrievance,  that  he  thinks 
needs  redress  ;  or,  if  there  be  evils  in   the  Church,  that    in 

tis  zeal  he  desires  to  see  clipped  into  due  proportions,  there 


450  ALETHAURIOX. 

is  an  authority  to  which  he  may  appeal,  a  tribunal  that  will 
investigate  each  alleged  abuse,  and  as  far  as  possible,  pro- 
vide a  remedy. 

Our  enemies  sometimes  do  us  good  by  putting  us  in  mind 
of  our  faults  ;  but  our  true  friends  will  never  publish  them. 
It  is  the  snake  in  the  grass,  the  traitor  in  the  camp,  that 
does  it. 

In  making  these  observations,  however,  let  it  be  under- 
stood that  they  are  not  meant  to  reflect  adversely  upon  the 
course  of  some,  who,  in  our  day,  have  sharpened  their 
crayons  against  an  absolutism,  which  neither  our  fathers  nor 
we  were  able  to  bear. 

The  Holy  See  itself,  though  possessed  of  the  plenitude  of 
power,  is  never  absolute.  It  ever  has  and  does  respect  the 
rights  of  all.  Equally  just  and  considerate  toward  those 
who  rule  and  those  who  obey,  it  will  not  abrogate  privileges 
granted  to  prelates  in  missionary  lands  until  it  has  become 
clear  that  power  has  been  abused. 

But  when,  through  human  fraility,  or  through  a  desire  to 
ape  the  rulers  of  this  world,  that  which  was  granted  for  the 
purpose  of  building  up,  has  been  turned  into  an  engine  of 
destruction,  then  the  Holy  See  takes  it  away. 

After  Paul  had  preached  at  Ephesus,  for  about  two  years 
and  three  months,  the  number  of  his  converts  was  great. 
They  who  had  abandoned  Spiritism  for  Christianity,  in  proof 
of  sincerity,  brought  their  magic-books  to  the  public  square 
and  burned  them. 

Toward  the  end  of  the  period  above  mentioned,  a  new 
coalition  was  formed  against  the  Apostle.  It  took  the  shape 
of  .a  trades-union  of  silversmiths. 

There  was,  in  those  days,  at  Ephesus,  a  temple  of  Diana, 
of  such  magnificent  architecture  and  vast  proportions,  that 
it  passed  for  one  of  the  seven  wonders  of  the  world.  Inside 
was  a  colossal  statue  of  the  goddess,  and,  attached  to  it, 
numerous  smaller  ones,  put  there  as  votive  offerings,  by  the 
piously  inclined. 


ALETIIAURION.  451 

Men  of  wealth  were  accustomed  also  to  have  silver  shrines 
made,  and  set  up  in  the  temple,  as  well  as  in  their  own 
houses.  And  this  love  and  respect  of  the  entire  community 
for  the  ffreat  Diana  was  a  source  of  considerable  revenue  to 
the  jewelers. 

It  became  evident  to  these  that,  if  Paul  was  permitted  to 
go  on  preaching,  Diana  would  sooner  or  later  give  up  the 
ghost,  and  their  custom  would  go  to  Hades  with  her. 

Demetrius,  one  of  their  number,  made  them  a  speech, 
and  a  good  one  it  seems,  for  he  put  the  whole  city  in  an 
uproar. 

The  people  rushed  into  the  theatre,  some'not  knowing 
why  or  wherefore  they  had  come  there.  But  all  joined  in 
the  cry  :  **  Great  is  Diana  of  theEphesians."     Actsxix,  28. 

Paul,  with  his  natural  impetuosity  and  fearlessness,  was 
also  about  to  proceed  thither ;  but  the  brethren  would  not 
suffer  him  to  do  so  ;  for  the  Pagans  would  have  torn  him 
limb  from  limb,  and  the  Jews  would  have  willingly  buried 
the  pieces  forever  out  of  sight.  Finally  the  town  clerk  suc- 
ceeded in  restoring  order,  and  the  day   ended  peaceably. 

Our  next  will  be  about  societies. 


CHAPTER  CVI. 


SOCIETIES. 


The  uproar  against  St.  Paul,  raised  by  the  silversmith 
trades-union  at  Ephesus,  gives  us  an  opportunity  of  stating 
a  few  truths,  and  giving  expression  to  some  views  on  the 
subject  of  societies. 

The  word  is  used  in  various  senses,  but  here  it  is 
employed  to  mean  an  organization  of  any  kind. 

The  highest  type  is  seen  in  God.  The  thr^e  divine 
persons,  though  really  distinct,  are  united  in  one  and  the 
same  essence. 


452  ALETHAURION. 

The  lowest  is  met  with  in  hell,  where  division,  false- 
hood and  malice,  among  the  demons,  take  the  place  of 
unity,  truth,  and  goodness,  which  should  be  found  in  every 
society . 

Societies  among  men  may  be  divided  into  two  great 
classes,  the  one  temporal,  the  other  spiritual.  The  object  of 
the  former  is  to  provide  for  the  welfare  of  the  body,  the 
latter  is  charged  with  the  care  of  the  soul. 

And  as  the  body  and  soul  are  united,  so  should  these  be. 
The  soul,  which  is  the  more  noble  of  man's  constituent 
parts,  directs  and  rules  the  body.  Thus  also,  the  spiritual, 
which  is  the  higher  principle,  is  destined,  in  the  order  of 
Providence,  to  shape  the  course  and  acts  of  the  temporal. 

When  there  is  an  entire  ^paration,  the  temporal  goes  to 
the  grave,  to  rot,  while  the  spiritual  returns  to  God. 

From  a  consideration  of  these  truths,  of  which  we  have  so 
good  an  illustration  in  our  own  persons,  it  will  be  seen  that 
any  society  which  eliminates  the  spiritual,  can  not  hope  to 
live  and  do  good. 

In  AdAxM,  the  father  and  head  of  the  human  race,  both 
those  elements  were  united.  He  was  king,  and  therefore 
under  an  obligation  to  provide  for  the  temporal  welfare  of 
that  society  of  which  he  was  the  progenitor  and  ruler.  He 
was  also  a  high  priest,  burdened  with  the  care  of  leading  the 
members  to  happiness  in  the  future  life. 

In  his  two-fold  character  of  king  and  priest,  he  could 
permit  nothing  to  be  done,  in  the  temporal  order,  that  would 
interfere  with  the  acquisition  of  spiritual  blessings.  His 
successors,  the  patriarchs,  up  to  the  time  of  Moses,  were 
like  unto  him  in  this  particular. 

They  were  rulers  of  God's  people,  not  only  in  a  temporal 
sense,  but  high  priests,  at  the  same  time. 

According  as  mankind  increased  in  numbers,  their  interests 
or  neces^ties,  or,  may  be,  the  ambition  of  powerful  leaders, 
induced  them  to  separate  into  various  tribes,  each  forming 
an  independent  people. 


ALETHAURION.  453 

This  was  lawful ;  for  it  nowhere  appears  from  revelation 
that  it  was  a  part  of  the  plan  of  the  Almighty  to  establish 
on  earth  a  universal  temporal  monarchy  in  the  person  of 
Adam  or  any  of  his  descendants. 

But  the  same  cannot  be  said  of  that  spiritual  monarchy 
of  which  Adam  was  also  the  representative.  None  were  at 
liberty  to  refuse  direction  from  him,  or  from  his  successors 
in  the  patriarchal  chair.  And  the  fact  that  many  did  so, 
eliminating  altogether  the  spiritual  element,  or  subjecting  it 
to  the  temporal,  was  what  brought  on  the  deluge. 

The  reader  will  gather  from  this,  that  from  the  beginning 
of  the  world,  true  religion  has  had  a  unity,  and  a  right  to 
restrain  man  from  such  a  pursuit  of  temporal  happiness,  as 
would  lead  him  astray,  or  make  him  unfit  to  be  an  heir  to 
heavenly  bliss. 

Down  to  the  time  of  Moses,  the  temporal  and  spiritual 
direction  of  God's  people  was  vested  in  the  same  person. 
He,  by  divine  command,  gave  a  development  to  the  patri- 
archal religion,  founding  thereby  the  Jewish  Church  or  Syn- 
agogue. By  miracles  and  holiness  of  life,  he  proved  his 
right  to  do  this. 

To  his  brother  Aaron,  he  entrusted  all  that  appertained 
to  the  worship  of  God,  while  he  still  retained  in  his  own 
hands  the  right  to  guide  the  nation. 

The  division  here  made  was  not  perfect  nor  entire.  For 
Aaron  and  the  Levites  did  not  form  a  society  independent 
of  Moses.  Nor  was  it  until  our  Saviour  came  that  the  tem- 
poral and  spiritual  elements  were  completely  separated ; 
each  forming  an  autonomous  society  independent  within  its 
sphere. 

Christ  left  the  temporal  kingdom  where  He  found  it  and 
where  it  had  been  since  Adam  ;  but  the  spiritual  He  still 
further  developed,  changing  its  internal  organization  and 
giving  it,  not  alone  autonomy  in  the  highest  sense,  but  also 
the  right  and  the  duty  to  direct  temporal  kingdoms  ;  so  that 


454  ALETHAURION. 

their  acts  may  be  conducive  to  the  salvation  of  their  peo- 
ple. 

"  Going  forth,'*  said  he  to  the  Apostles,  "teachall  nations"— kingdoms 
if  you  wish — "teach  them  to  observe  all  thing  whatsoever  I  have  com- 
manded you.'*    Matt,  xxviii,  19-20. 

Hence,  the  idea  sometimes  expressed  by  thoughtless  peo- 
ple, that  the  State  is  entirely  independent  of  the  Church  is 
false.  As  well  might  one  say  that  the  body  is  independent 
of,  or  ousfht  to  rule  the  soul. 

Now,  as  between  the  body  and  soul,  there  is  a  never-ceas- 
ing warfare  ;  the  body  seeking  that  which  gives  temporal 
ease  and  satisfaction,  the  soul  aspiring  to  heavenly  joys,  so, 
between  the  Church  of  Christ  and  the  State  there  will  be 
that  same  kind  of  war  so  long  as  the  world  lasts. 

"I  see,"  says  St.  Paul,  "another  law  in  my  members,  fighting  against 
the  law  of  my  mind,  and  captivating  me  in  the  law  of  sin,  that  is  in  my 
members."    Romans  vii,  23. 

But,  as  he  approaches  nearest  to  perfection  whose  carnal 
appetites  are  subject  to  the  law  of  his  mind,  so  also  is  that 
temporal  kingdom  most  complete,  which,  while  neglecting 
nothing  conducive  to  the  comfort  and  happiness  of  its  citi- 
zens, is  yet  directed  by  that  other  and  superior  spiritual 
kingdom,  namely,  the  Church  of  Christ. 

From  what  has  thus  far  been  said,  it  will  be  observed  that 
we  have  in  the  world,  two,  and  only  two,  organizations  of 
divine  mstitution,  viz  :  the  Church  and  the  State. 

The  Church  has  unity  in  a  most  perfect  degree,  so  that  it 
can  never  be  divided,  any  more  than  the  soul  can,  and  it  de- 
pends upon  God  alone,  who  has  made  it  indefectible  and 
infallible. 

States,  taken  collectively,  have  not  unity,  except  in  the 
Church,  which  is  to  them  a  cap  or  complement.  Taken 
singly,  each  has  unity  and  independence,  but  not  to  such  an 
extent  as  to  be  at  liberty  to  resist  the  law  of  the  mind,  which 
is  that  of  the  Church. 

We  may  now  descend  to  the  consideration  of  societies 
properly  so  called,  ^.  e.,  to  those  which   do   not  pretend  to 


ALETIIAURION.  455 

be  of  divine  institution,  nor  sovereign,  in  the  strict  sense. 
These  also  may  be  divided  into  two  chisses — illegitimate 
and  legitimate.  An  illegitimate  society  is  one  that  either 
directly  or  indirectly  aims  at  the  overthrow  of  the  State  or 
the  Church,  or  cramps  the  free  and  lawful  action  of   either. 

Hence,  in  temporal  matters,  all  organizations  gotten  up 
for  the  purpose  of  eluding  the  law,  or  interfering  with  its 
proper  execution,  are  illegitimate. 

Trades-unions,  in  which  mechanics  or  laborers  bind  them- 
selves by  oath  to  resist,  by  violence,  State  or  municipal 
laws,  guaranteeing  to  the  employers  certain  rights,  are  of 
this  class. 

Men  engaged  in  any  legitimate  calling,  have  certainly  the 
right  to  form  themselves  into  a  society  for  mutual  protec- 
tion, and  even  to  strike  for  higher  wages,  where  no  previous 
contract  obliges  them  to  continue  working  for  the  same  hire. 
The  State  tacitly  concedes  such  a  right  to  the  employed. 
But  the  employer  has  rights  also,  and  he  cannot  lawfully  be 
prevented  by  force  or  intimidation  from  employing  others 
to  take  the  places  of  those  who  do  not  choose  to  work. 
Much  less  can  those  others  be  killed  or  maimed  for  accepting 
such  employment. 

All  secret,  oath-bound  societies,  even  those  that  may  have 
a  patent  from  the  State,  are  illegitimate,  so  far  as  baptized 
persons  are  concerned.  This  is  so.  not  by  reason  of  the  oathy 
nor  of  the  secrecy  enjoined  upon  the  members,  but  because 
of  a  positive  law  of  the  Church.  That  a  dozen  or  more  men 
should  bind  themselves  by  a  vow  or  solemn  promise  to  do 
something,  not  otherwise  unlawful,  is  not  of  itself  bad. 
But  long  experience,  under  existing  circumstances,  has 
taught  the  Church  that  such  organizations  are  dangerous, 
and  become  the  occasions  of  sin,  even  apostacy,  to  those 
who  enter  them.  Hence  tiie  protest,  and  the  coihmand, 
to  beware  of  those  evil  associations  which  corrupt  good 
manners. 

To   the   same   illegitimate    category  belong  all  heresies. 


456  ALETHAURIOX. 

schisms,  and  other  organizations  that  pretend  to  lead  men 
to  the  final  destiny,  but  which  do  not  acknowledge  the 
authority  of  the  true  Church. 

These  are  in  the  worst  condition  of  all,  for  they  do  not 
pretend  to  hold  their  right  to  exist  by  temporal  or  State 
authority,  and  they  certainly  do  not  live  by  the  authority  of 
the  Church. 

From  whence,  then,  their  raison  d'etre? 

Legitimate  societies  are  all  those  expressly  or  tacitly 
approved  by  the  Church  ;  such,  for  example,  are  the  monastic 
orders,  sodalities,  and  benevolent  societies  among  Catholics  ; 
as  well  as  all  sorts  of  corporations  for  purely  temporal  ends, 
and  approved  by  the  State. 

In  our  next  we  continue  the  history  of  St.  Paul. 


CHAPTER  CVII. 


ST.     PAUL     LEAVES     EPHESUS VISITS     THE     CHURCHES     OF 

MACEDONIA    AND     GREETCE RETURNS      TO     ASIA     MINOR 

GIVES   A   PARTING   ADVICE    AND    BLESSING   TO    THE     CLERGY 
OF   EPHESUS. 

After  the  silversmith  tumult  had  been  suppressed,  Paul 
again  passed  through  Macedonia  and  Greece,  and,  coming 
back,  stayed  a  short  time  at  Miletus.  This  city  stood  about 
thirty-eight  miles  south  of  Ephesus. 

Desiring  to  be  at  Jerusalem  for  the  Feast  of  Pentecost, 
lie  did  not  visit  Ephesus,  but  sent  word  to  its  bishops  to 
come  to  him,  that  he  might  give  some  final  advice  and 
instructions. 

On  arrival,  he  called  them  together,  and  explained  how  he 
had  delivered  to  them  the. entire  gospel.  He  exhorts  them 
to  take  heed  to  themselves,  and  to  all  the  flock,  over  which 
the  Holy  Ghost  had  placed  them  as  bishops,  to  rule  the 
Church  of  God.     Let  the  reader  take  note  of  the   svstem 


ALETHAURION.  457 

and  plan  of  salvation  introduced  by  the  Saviour,  and  carried 
out  by  the  Apostles.  Christ  wrote  nothing.  For  about 
three  years  He  taught  His  Apostles  and  others,  orally.  Before 
the  ascension  He  commissions,  not  all  mankind,  but  the 
Apostles,  to  preach  to  the  nations  what  they  had  heard  from 
himself.  The  example  set,  and  the  instructions  given  with 
regard  to  the  mode  of  planting  the  Church,  we  find  to  have 
been  carried  out  by  the  twelve,  to  the  letter. 

St.  Paul  and  the  other  Apostles  began  in  each  place  first 
to  teach  by  word  of  mouth,  in  order  to  draw  the  Jews  and 
pagans  to  belief  in  Christ.  But  this  done,  their  work  was 
not  yet  finished.  They  were  commissioned  to  not  alone 
teach  mankind  certain  moral  and  doctrinal  truths,  such  as 
even  the  pagan  philosophers  had  done ;  but  they  were 
moreover  ordained  to  enlarge  that  Kingdom  already  founded 
by  the  Saviour.  Hence  the  gospel  preached  by  the  Apos- 
tles was  the  **  Gospel  of  the  Kingdom."  Matt,  iv,  23; 
ix,  35. 

This  required  that  they  should  establish  in  each  place 
such  organizations  as  is  found  in  every  kingdom. 

Consequently  we  see  that  Paul  placed  over  each  of  the 
churches  that  he  had  established,  bishops  who  should  con- 
tinue after  he  was  gone,  not  only  to  teach,  but  with  power 
also  to  select  others,  and  ordain  them  ministers  of  the 
kingdom,  as  they  themselves  had  been  chosen  and  ordained 
by  the  Apostle.  **Asthe  Father  hath  sent  Mc,  so  also  I 
send  you,"  said  Christ  to  the  twelve.  Now  Christ  was 
sent  by  the  Father  with  power  to  teach,  and  authority  to 
apj)oint  others  to  continue  what  he  had  begun  ;  and  the 
same  may  also  be  said  of  the  Apostles. 

Just  at  this  point  there  arises  before  the  mind's  eye  a 
pertinent  question.  Since,  as  we  have  seen  Paul,  and  the 
others  also,  established  in  each  town  a  living,  teaching 
authority,  empowered  by  the  Holy  Ghost  to  rule  the  Church 
of  God,  at  what  period,  we  ask,  did  it  become  lawful  for 
AiQ   individual   member  to   ignore   that   authority,   and   be 


458  AT.ETHAURION. 

guided  in  his  belief  and  practice  by  a  book?  In  other 
words,  at  what  exact  time  did  the  oblioration  of  hearinor  the 
Church  cease  to  have  binding  force?  Let  those  who  have 
left  us  arise  and  explain,  for  it  concerns  them.  When  did 
the  Church  cease  to  be  what  St.  Paul  said  it  was  :  '*  The 
pillar  and  ground  of  truth?"     I  Tim.  iii,  15. 

If  they  say  the  obligation  of  being  guided  by  a  living, 
teaching  Church,  ceased  with  the  death  of  the  Apostles, 
then  we  ask,  how  could  St.  Paul  have  told  the  converted 
Jews,  *' Obey  your  prelates,  and  be  subject  to  them;  for 
they  watch  as  being  to  render  an  account  of  your  souls." 
Heb.  xiii,  17. 

Or  how  could  a  prelate  be  held  responsible  for  the  soul 
of  another,  if  that  other  is  under  no  obligation  to  listen  to 
or  be  guided  by  the  prelate? 

Or  hovv  could  St.  Paul  have  told  Timothy  to  commend 
to  faithful  men,  who  should  be  fit  to  teach  others,  what 
his  disciple  had  learned  before  many  witnesses,  II  Tim.  ii,. 
2,  if  each  man  could  become  his  own  teacher? 

The  fact  then  that  Paul  commissioned  some  to  rule  and 
give  instruction,  implies  the  obligation  on  the  part  of  others 
to  learn  of  and  to  obey  those  in  authority. 

Sectarians  pretend  to  take  the  written  word  as  their  rule 
of  faith,  and  that  alone  shows  they  are  not  apostlic,  for  all 
the  apostolic  Churches  had  been  founded  before  the  various 
books  of  the  New  Testament  were  written,  and  many  years 
before  they  had  been  collected  into  one  volume. 

The  New  Testament  contains  a  part  of  the  will  of  the 
Great  King.  And  the  fact  that  Christ  made  a  will, implies 
a  kinofdom  which  ministers  to  execute  it.  Alexander 
made  no  will  when  dying,  and  why?  Because  he  knew  that 
his  kinijdom  would  end  with  himself,  and  a  will  under  the 
circumstances  would  have  been  an  absurdity. 

Baptized  heretics  hold  copies,  more  or -less  genuine,  of 
the  Saviour's  will,  and  are  co-heirs  with  us,  we  grant ;  but 
being  in  rebellion,  they  can  never  hope  to  gain  their  part  of 


ALETHAUKIOX .  459 

the  inheritance,  until  they  lay  down  their  arms  and  acknowl- 
edge those  who  govern  in  the  King's  name. 

Now,  as  in  temporal  matters,  the  State  interprets  the  law 
of  the  land,  so  is  the  Church  constituted  the  interpreter  of 
the  law  and  will  of  her  Founder. 

Here,  also,  we  may  take  notice  of  an  idea  that  preoccu- 
pies the  minds  of  many  deluded  people  in  our  day.  To 
simplify  we  put  it  in  the  concrete.  Adozen  unbaptized 
farmers  meet  together ;  they  read  the  Bible,  and,  at  the  end 
of  the  day,  each  comes  to  the  conclusion  that  it  is  an  inspired 
book.  They  next  organize,  by  electing  three  of  their 
number  to  what  they  call  the  Eldership,  and  a  fourth  they 
employ  to  preach  for  them  at  a  stated  salary.  This  organi- 
zation they  call  a  Church.  Whose  Church?  Evidently  the 
Church  of  those  twelve  farmers,  because  they  first  called  it 
into  existence.  No,  say  they,  it  is  not  ours,  but  the  Church 
of  Jesus  Christ  ;  for  it  is  planned  and  built  on  the  model 
of  Ilis.  *' But,  my  dear  fellows,"  says  a  neighbor,  **  you 
make  a  great  mistake,  it  appears  to  me.  It  is  wxU  known  that 
the  Church  of  Christ  began  to  exist  upwards  of  eighteen 
centuries  ago,  and,  as  His  kingdom  is  an  everlasting  one,  it 
must  be  in  existence  now  ;  and  yours  is  certainly  not  it,  for 
the  simple  reason  that  yours  began  yesterday,  and  cannot  be 
traced  bock  to  the  time  Christ  lived  on  earth. 

''  Behold,''  said  the  angel  to  the  Virgin  Mary,  thou  shalt  conceive  in 
»thy  womb,  and  shalt  bring  forth  a  Son;  and  thou  shalt  call  his  name 
Jesus.  He  shall  be  great,  and  shall  be  called  the  Son  of  the  Most  High  : 
and  the  Lord  God  shall  give  unto  Him  the  throne  of  David,  His 
father;  and  He  shall  reign  in  the  house  of  J acou  forever.  And  of  His 
Kingdom  (Church  J  there  shall  be  no  end/^    Luke  i,  31-33. 

Similarity  is  not  identity.     Hence,  though  a  dozen  or  more 

of  you  should  organize  a  Church  in  every  particular  like  the 

Church  of  Christ,  it  would  still  not  be  the  one  He  founded, 

for  the  same  reason   that  Smith's  house   is   not  Brown's, 

though   built   exactly  like  it,  and  according  to   the   same 

specifications.     So    with   your   Church ;  it   is   not   that    of 

Christ,  but   an  imitation,  and   a   bad   one.     Suppose  fifty 


460  ALETHAURION. 

thousand  American  citizens  should  take  the  Constitution  and 
organize  by  electing  a  President  and  two  houses  of  Congress ; 
would  that  give  them  the  right  to  call  themselves  the  Ui^^ 
States?  Neither  does  your  possession  of  the  Scriptures 
give  you  a  right  to  coin  a  new  Church."  So  far  the 
neighbor. 

In  our  next  we  will  dwell  a  little  longeron  this  subject. 


CHAPTER  CYIII. 


MORE   ABOUT   THE    CHURCH   OF   THE   TWELVE   FARMERS. 

The  theory  that  appears  to  underlie  the  thoughts  of  nearly 
all  Protestants  on  religious  matters,  appears  to  be,  in  sub- 
stance ,  as  follows  : 

They  regard  Christ  as  a  man  sent  of  God  to  teach  man- 
kind certain  truths,  andj  in  order  the  better  to  accomplish 
this,  He  chose  twelve  men,  whom  He  first  instructed,  and 
then  sent  to  preach  to  others  all  that  had  been  confided  to 
themselves.  These,  aft«r  the  death  of  their  Master,  did  as 
they  were  told,  ^.  e.,  preached  everywhere  wiiat  they  knew 
of  Him,  or  had  heard  from  His  lips.  But  as  the  twelve 
w^ere  not  to  live  always,  they  took  care,  before  dying, 
to  i)ut  in  writing,  for  the  guidance  of  future  generations,  all 
they  had  orally  taught  mankind;  and  the  book  thus  left,* 
now  called  the  New  Testament,  constitutes  the  highest 
authority  on  all  points  of  belief  and  practice.  Furthermore, 
any  one  now  may  take  the  New  Testament,  study  it  for  his 
own  salvation,  and  teach  its  precepts  to  others,  indepen- 
dently of  Church  authority. 

This,  We  believe,  is  a  fair  statement  of  the  Protestant 
theory,  put  in  as  few  w^ords  as  the  nature  of  the  subject  will 
permit.  And  it  includes  no  less  than  four  false  assump- 
tions. 


ALETUAUKION.  461 

First,  It  is  fivbe  that  the  New  Testament  took  the  place 
of  the  Apostles. 

Sficond,  It  is  not  true  that  it  contains  all  they  taught 
mankiiul. 

T/iirdy  It  is  ridiculous  to  speak  of  the  New  Testament  as 
authority  in  controverted  matters. 

Fourth  J  It  is  not  lawful  for  each  and  every  one  who  has 
read  the  Scriptures,  and  thinks  he  understands  them,  to 
constitute  himself  a  guide,  and  profess  ability  to  lead  others 
to  heaven. 

Let  us  say  a  word  or  two  about  those  several  points  : 

First,  The  New  Testament  did  not  take  the  place  of  the 
A[X)Stles,  for  the  simple  reason  that  a  book  can  by  no  fic- 
tiop.pf  law  succeed  to  a  man's  position  in  a  kingdom.  Dis- 
raeli's Endymion  will  never  be  Victoria's  Prime  Minister, 
nor  will  Grant's  Des  Moines  speech  be  President  of  the 
United  States,  as  long  as  the  world  lasts. 

We  hear  it  said,  and  we  occasionally  read  in  sectarian 
news'joapers,  that  the  Apostles  had  no  successors.  But,  if  a 
man  who  holds  the  same  position,  under  the  same  constitu- 
tion, in  the  same  kingdom  that  another  once  filled,  be  not 
the  successor  of  that  other,  then  we  confess  that  succession 
in  office  is  something  totally  beyond  our  comprehension. 

Now,  we  know  that  Paul  founded  the  Church  of  Ephe- 
sus,  and  that  while  there  he  acted  as  the  minister  of  Christ, 
and  dispenser  of  the  mysteries  of  God  ;  and  that  his  Disci- 
ple, Timothy,  having  later  on  been  ordained  bishop  of  the 
same  city,  continued  to  exercise,  even  after  Paul's  death, 
and  by  his  express  orders,  those  very  same  functions.  Who 
then  can  deny  that  Timothy  succeeded  Paul  at  Ephesus  ? 

So  also  Peter,  the  Prince  of  the  Apostles,  first  estab- 
lished his  See  at  Antioch,  in  Syria,  and  after  seven  years, 
by  divine  command,  as  is  generally  admitted,  he  took  pos- 
session of  Rome,  ordaining  or  cau^ing  to  be  ordained  a  cer- 
tain EvoDius,  to  his  place  in  the  Syrian  capitol.     Can  it  be 


462  ALETIIAUKIOX. 

denied  that  Evodius  was  the  successor  of  Peter  in  the  epis- 
copate at  Antioch?  There  is,  however,  a  sense  according 
to  which  it  can  be  said  that  the  Apostles  had  no  successor>. 
Each  and  every  one  of  them  had  what  is  called  an  extraor- 
dinary mission  ;  ^.  e.,  they  were  sent  directly  by  God  ;  and, 
as  proof  of  this  they  had  the  gift  of  miracles.  No  bishop 
since  the  Apostles,  pretends  that  his  mission  is  such  as  theirs 
in  this  particular.  They  claim  descent  from  the  twelve,  on 
the  strength  of  that  order  which  Christ  established  in  His 
kingdom.  Neither  does  any  bishop  claim  a  personal  power 
to  work  miracles.  The  founder  of  a  State  has  sometimes 
to  perform  great  deeds  in  order  to  establish  his  throne.  His 
son  does  not  undergo  the  same  fatigue,  but  simply  proves 
his  legitimate  descent,  and  by  that  becomes  heir  to  all  his 
father  gained  by  valor  or  genius. 

Now,  there  is  not  a  Catholic  bishop  but  can  prove  his  de- 
scent from  the  Apostles,  according  to  the  order  established 
by  the  Saviour  in  His  Church.  The  essential  laws  of  the 
kingdom  of  Christ,  like  those  of  nature  never  vary,  except 
by  miracle.  And  just  as  each  man  now  living  knows  that 
he  had  here  on  earth  five  thousand  years  ago,  an  ancestor  in 
direct  line  from  whom  he  has  descended,  so  each  priest  and 
bishop  knows  that  the  powers  by  which  he  is  constituted  a 
minister  of  Christ  have  come  down  from  the  Apostles.  A 
real  and  true  bishop,  without  a  consecrator,  would  be  as 
great  a  prodigy  as  a  real  and  true  man  who  never  had  a 
father. 

Asjain  :  There  is  another  sense  in  which  it  can  be  said  that 
no  individual  bishop  except  the  Pope,  is  the  successor  of  an 
Apostle.  Each  of  the  twelve,  along  with  St.  Paul,  had 
conjointly  with  Peter,  a  universal  jurisdiction  ;  i.  e.,  had  the 
right  to  preach  the  gospel,  found  churches  and  dispense  the 
mysteries  of  religion  in  any  part  of  the  world.  But  at  the 
present  day,  if  we  except  the  Bishop  of  Rome,  no  prelate 
has  universal  jurisdiction,  and  consequently  cannot  be  called 
a  successor  of  the  Apostles  in  that  particular.     The  reason 


ALETHAURION.  4()3 

is  also  quite  obvious.  The  universal  jurisdiction  given  to 
the  other  Apostles  was  extraordinary,  and  to  last  onh'  dur- 
ing their  lives.  Hence,  they  could  not  transmit  to  their 
successors  what  they  held  themselves  by  life  lease  only. 
But  the  jurisdiction  given  to  Peter  was  ordinary,  and  con- 
sequently descended  whole  and  entire  to  his  successor. 

In  the  matter  of  jurisdiction,  the  bishops,  taken  as  a  body, 
with  the  Pope  at  their  head,  are  the  successors  of  the  Apos- 
tles, taken  as  a  body.  Individually,  no.  bishop  except  one 
has  a  jurisdiction  outside  his  own  diocese  ;  and  so  far,  they 
are  unlike  the  Apostles.  Though  Timothy,  at  Ephesus,  and 
Titus,  in  Crete,  succeeded  to  Paul  as  ministers,  yet  each 
was  obliged  to  stay  at  his  particular  post  until  relieved  by 
death  or  by  apostolic  authority. 

Again  :  The  Apostles  were  all  inspired,  and  in  this  too 
they  are  alone  and  without  regular  succession.  Infallil)ility 
is  not  inspiration,  but  a  continuance  of  £he  Saviour  with  His 
Church,  through  its  head.  He  being  present,  the  chief 
bishop  cannot  err  in  matters  appertaining  to  faith  and 
morals.  By  inspiration  the  Apostles  planned  the  way  ;  by 
infallibility  the  Pope  is  kept  from  straying  out  of  it. 

From  all  that  has  thus  far  been  said,  the  reader  will 
easily  gather  that  the  Pope  and  bishops  of  the  Catholic 
Church  are  the  successors  of  the  Apostles  in  essentials.  The 
accidentals,  such  as  inspiration,  universal  jurisdiction  of 
more  than  one  and  the  personal  gift  of  miracles,  were  extra- 
ordinary and  temporary. 

The  succession  of  the  bishops  of  Rome,  from  Peter,  is  a 
fact  of  history  so  well  known  that  it  has  always  been  a  won- 
der to  the  writer  how  any  heretic  could  run  his  eye  up  along 
the  line  from  Leo  XIII  to  Simon  Peter,  and  still  remain 
outside  the  true  Church. 

In  our  next  we  will  show  that  the  New  Testament  does 
not  contain  all  the  Apostles  taught  mankind. 


464  ALETHAUEION. 


CHAPTER  CIX, 


EACH   APOSTLE   PREACHED   A    GREATER    NUMBER   OF    SPECIFIC 
TRUTHS   THAN   HE    COMMITTED    TO   WRITING. 

Sectarians  of  almost  every  shade  deny  that  the  Saviour 
revealed  anything  to  the  Apostles,  as  necessary  for  salvation 
beyond  what  we  find  in  the  scriptures.  We  Catholics  hold 
that  though  the  twelve  preached  the  entire  gospel,  they  did 
not  commit  it  all  to  writing.  Hence  we  maintain  that  the 
deposit  of  faith  is  to.  be  found,  not  alone  in  the  written 
Word,  but  also  in  the  divine  traditions  of  the  Church.  This 
point  we  prove  by  the  scriptures  themselves,  i.  e.,  we  show 
by  what  the  Apostles  and  evangelists  wrote,  that  there  were 
other  truths  of  the  faith  which  they  indeed  preached,  but 
did  not  put  on  parchment. 

Opening  the   New  Testament   at  Thessalonians,  second 

Epistle,  ii,  14,  we  read. 

"Therefore,  brethren,  stand  firm,  and  hold  the  traditions  which  you 
have  learned,  whether  by  word  or  by  our  epistle."" 

Now  bear  in  mind  that  Paul  had  already  written  one  let- 
ter to  those  Thessalonians,  and  writing  a  second  time,  he 
tells  them  to  believe  and  hold  as  certain  all  he  had  written 
in  the  first,  and  not  alone  that,  but  what  they  had  heard 
from  his  own  mouth,  ^.e.,  they  must  believe  and  firmly, 
hold  what  he  had  said  and  not  written.  It  is  furthermore 
evident  that  what  Paul  had  communicated  to  them  orally 
was  of  importance,  for  he  tells  them  to  stand  firm,  and  to 
hold  it,  as  part  of  revelation,  evidently. 

Can  it  then  be  denied,  after  reading  so  plain  a  text,  that 
Paul  taught  the  Thessalonians  more  than  is  to  be  found  in 
his  letters  to  them. 

Let  us  take  another  text.  In  I  Cor.  ii,  2,  we  read  :  **  Now 
I  praise  you,  brethren,  that  in  all  things  you  are  mindful  of 


ai.et:iav!:iox.  465 

me,  and  keep  my  ordinances  as  I  delivered  them  to  you." 
Bear  in  mind  that  these  words  are  found  in  the  Jirst  epistle 
to  the  Corinthians.  Now  it  is  evident  that  the  ordinances 
spoken  of,  which  Paul  delivered  hy  word  of  mouth,  arc  not 
the  same  as  those  in  his  letter,  for  he  praises  thcni  for  hav- 
ing kept  the  first.  Hence  there  was  no  need  to  more  than 
allude  to  them  in  his  epistle.  The  Corinthians  knew  what 
Paul  meant,  though  only  a  hint  was  given. 

Again  :  In  I  Tim.  vi,  20,  we  read  :  **  O  Timothy,  keep 
that  which  is  committed  to  thy  trust,  avoiding  the  profane 
novelty  of  words  and  oppositions  of  knowledge  falsely  so 
called."  Here  Paul  warns  his  disciple  to  keep  safe  what 
was  intrusted  to  him,  i.  e.,  all  the  truths  of  the  faith  and 
the  methods  to  be  observed  in  the  practice  of  it.  Now  who 
will  be  so  ridiculous  as  to  affirm  that  the  entire  gospel  is 
contained  in  Paul's  first  epistle  toTLMOTHY?  It  is  evident, 
therefore,  that  Paul  taught  Timothy  more  than  is  to  be 
found  in  his  letters  to  his  well-beloved  disciple. 

Again:  In  II  Tim.  i,  13,  he  says:  '*  Hold  the  form  of 
sound  words,  which  thou  hast  heard  from  me  in  faith,  and 
in  the  love  which  is  in  Christ  Jesus."  Observe  here  that 
the  **  form  of  sound  words"  is  not  the  epistle  written  to 
Timothy,  but  Paul's  oral  instructions.  In  chapter  ii,  2,  of 
the  same  letter,  Paul  warns  him,  saying:  *'And  the  things 
which  thou  hast  heard  from  me,  before  many  witnesses,  the 
same  commend  to  faithful  men,  who  shall  be  fit  to  teach 
others  also." 

He  instructs  Timothy  to  teach  others — teach  what?  Was 
it  the  substance  of  the  written  epistle?  Evidently  not.  It 
was  what  Timothy  had  learned  **  before  many  witnesses," 
2.  c.,tneoral  teaching  of  St.  Paul,  which  embraces  the 
entire  gospel.  Paul  does  not  say:  Keep  this  epistle  I -now 
sendiyou  and  also  the  one  I  wrote  on  a  former  occasion.  He 
docs  not  tell  him  to  write  to  the  Corinthians,  to  the  Philii)- 
pians,  to  the  Galatians,  for  copies  of  the  letters  sent  them*. 
He  does  not  say  to  him  that  he  must  collect  all  the  writing? 


466  ALETHAURIOX. 

of  the  Apostles  and  transmit  these  to  His  successors.  No, 
Timothy  was  to  teach  what  Paul  had  already  taught  him 
orally. 

How  then  stands  the  case?  Here  we  have  Timothy,  Bishop 
of  Ephesus,  as  also  his  successors  for  a  number  of  years, 
teaching  the  entire  gospel,  and  the  only  scriptures  in  their 
possession,  most  likely,  were  the  books  of  the  Old  Testa- 
ment and  three  epistles  of  St.  Paul. 

What  we  say  here  of  the  Church  of  Ephesus,  may  be  re- 
peated of  those  of  Corinth,  Athens,  Crete,  Philippi,  and 
others.  Not  one  of  them  had  the  entire  written  word,  such 
as  we  now  possess  it.  For  it  was  not  until  many  years  had 
passed,  after  the  death  of  the  Apostles,  that  what  they  had 
written  was  collected  into  one  volume. 

If  the  ministers  of  those  primitive  Churches  had  not  had 
an  oral  teaching,  we  would  not  at  present  have,  in  the  first 
place,  anew  Testament  at  all,  and  in  the  second,  no  mortal 
man  would  be  able  to  pick  that  sense  out  of  it  which  the 
Apostles  and  evangelists  desired  to  convey. 

Let  us  take  another  text.  In  Hebrews  vi,  1-3,  Paul  tells 
the  Jews  that  he  does  not  wish  to  speak  to  them  of  penance, 
of  dead  works,  of  faith  in  God,  of  the  different  kinds  of 
T:)aptism,  of  the  imposition  of  hands,  of  the  resurrection  of 
the  dead,  and  life  eternal,  but  that  he  would  do  so,  God 
permitting. 

We  do  not  see  that  Paul  has  treated  all  these  things  in 
his  letters.  It  remains,  therefore,  that  we  hold  such  things 
to  have  been  taught  the  Jews  orally  only.  Add  to  all  this, 
that  of  the  twelve  Apostles,  seven  wrote  not  a  line. 

How  did  the  Churches  founded  by  these  seven  get  along 
without  the  written  word  ?  They  had  the  Apostles  with  them, 
says  some  one,  and  that  of  course  sufficed.  Very  well,  say 
we  also  ;  during  the  lifetime  of  those  first  bishops  of  the 
Church  they  had  competent,  inspired  teachers,  we  grant. 
•  But  from  the  death  of  St.  Andrew,  for  example,  to  the 
time  when  the  scriptures  were  all  collected  into  one  volume, 


i 


ALETHAURION.  467 

and  its  books  recognized  as  inspired,  by  public  authority, 
what  did  the  Churches  founded  by  him  do? 

The  Bible  man  answers,  they  had  to  do  the  best  they 
could. 

We  reply  :  St.  Andrew,  and  those  other  six  who  wrote 
nothing,  explained  the  doctrines  of  Christ  orally  to  faithful 
men,  and  these  in  turn  taught  others,  and  ordained  minis- 
ters, as  they  had  themselves  been  ordained  and  authorized 
to  teach  by  the  Apostles. 

And  thus  the  truth  was  preserved  and  the  entire  gospel 
preached  ift  those  Churches,  the  members  of  which  never 
saw  the  New  Testament,  nor  the  Old  one. 

Again  :  St.  Paul  wrote  fourteen  epistles  ;  no  sectarian 
will  dare  affirm  that  these  contain  the  entire  gospel ;  for  there 
are  some  things  in  the  other  inspired  writings  not  found  in 
them. 

What  follows?  That  Paul  did  not  write  do\vn  all  he 
preached.  And  what  is  said  here  of  Paul  may  be  repeated 
of  each  and  every  one  of  the  evangelists.  None  of  them 
left  in  writing  all  they  taught  the  people  orally. 

Our  next  will  be  a  continuation  of  this  subject,  for  it  is 
an  important  one. 


CHAPTER  CX, 


THE   WRITTEN  WORD   ALONE   IS    NOT   A   SUFFICIENT   GUIDE  TO 
LEAD    ONE   TO   HEA\'EN. 

In  the  last  chapter  we  saw  that  each  Apostle  preached 
more  truths  than  he  wrote.  This  no  sectarian  will  or  can 
deny.     It  is  too  plain  a  case. 

But  they  try  to  get  out  of  the  difficulty  by  saying  that, 
though  no  one  of  the  Apostles  or  evangelists  wrote  the  entire 
gospel,  yet  the  New  Testament  contains  the  united  teachings 
of  all ;  so  that  what  Matthew  omitted  was  supplied  by  Mark, 


468  ALETHAURION. 

what  jVIark  omitted   was   supplied   by   Luke,  what  Luke 

omitted   was   supplied   by   Peter,   Paul   and   Jude  ;    and 

finally,   what  all   these  had  omitted  was   supplied  by  John, 

who   wrote  his  gospel  and  revelations  on  towards  the   close 

of  the  fir^t  century. 

This  is  the  theory  that  appears  to  be  afloat  in  the  mind 

of   almost,   if   not   every   Protestant.     And  it  is  perfectly 

gratuitous.     Now   it  is  a  principal  in  logic,  that,  what  is 

asserted  without  proof  may  also  be  denied  without  proof. 

Hence,  after  having   shown  that  each  evangelist,  singly » 

wrote  less  than  he  preached  ;  after   pointing  out  what   St.' 

John  says,  xxi,  25  : 

''But  there  are  also  many  other  things  which  Jesus  did;  wliieh  if  they 
were  written  every  one,  the  world  itself,  I  think,  would  not  be  able  to 
contain  the  books  that  should  be  written." 

When  we  have  called  attention  to  the  fact  that  Christ 
never  commanded  the  Apostles  to  write  at  all ;  we  can  say 
with  great  peace  of  mind  to  our  dissenting  brethren,  prove 
your  point.  Prove  that  the  written  word  contains  all  that' 
Christ  taught. 

You,  who  are  but  a  small  minority,  must  not  take  for 
granted  what  three-fourths  of  all  who  believe  in  Christ 
deny.  The  burden  of  proof  in  the  case  lies  altogether  with 
you  heretics,  and  for  at  least  two  reasons. 

The  Catholic  Church,  before  and  at  the  time  of  your  sep- 
aration from  it,  held  that  the  Apostles  jDreached  more  than 
they  wrote.  Rome  was  in  possession  ;  it  was  your  duty  to 
prove  her  wrong,  but  to  this  day  you  have  not  done  so. 

Secondly^  How  in  reason  can  you  maintain  that  the  writ- 
ten word  includes  the  entire  gospel,  when  it  nowhere 
affirms  such  of  itself.  Can  you  show  that  there  was  an 
understandinij  between  those  who  wrote  that  what  this  one 
omitted  the  other  should  supply?  You  cannot.  On  the 
contrary,  there  is  abundant  evidence  to  demonstrate  that 
there  was  no  such  an  agreement  made.     The  four   gospels 


4 


) 


ALETHAURION.  469 

give  us,  in  a  variety  of  instances,  the  very  same  facts 
related  in  different  words. 

The  book  called  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles  is  certainly  not 
the  result  of  a  consultation  among  the  twelve,  for  it  treats 
principally  of  the  labors  of  St.  Paul,  of  whom  its  author, 
Luke,  was  a  disciple  and  follower. 

If  it  had  been  intended  as  a  history  of  the  Church,  we 
would  therein  have  registered  what  the  other  Apostles 
also  did. 

The  Epistles  of  Sts.  Peter,  Paul,  Jude  and  John,  are 
nothing  more  nor  less  than  pastoral  letters  of  those  first 
bishops  of  the  Church,  bringing  into  relief  certain  truths  of 
the  faith,  and  warning  the  people  against  evils  that  existed 
in  those  days. 

Now  we  know  that  a  pastoral  letter  may  be  most  excel- 
lent, and  yet  contain  only  a  small  number  of  the  truths 
taught  by  the  Saviour.  Leo  XIII,  when  Bishop  of  Perugia, 
wrote  several  such,  which  have  since  been  collected  and 
published  in  one  volume.     They  are  good  reading. 

But  no  Catholic,  for  a  moment,  regards  them  as  a  full 
and  complete  exposition  of  our  holy  religion.  They  pre- 
suppose the  faith  already  preached  among  the  people  to 
whom  they  are  addressed,  and  an  allusion  only  is  made,  in 
many  places  where  a  full  explanation  would  be  in  order  if 
they  were  intended  to  be  exhaustive  doctrinal  treatises. 

It  is  thus,  also,  with  the  letters  written  by  the  Apostles. 
They  would  be  enigmas  to  the  public  without  preparatory 
religious  instructions.  The  scriptures  are  in  a  peculiar 
manner  the  property  of  the  Church. 

They  were  written  by  believers  for  believers,  and  there  is 
no  evidence  to  show  that  the  Saviour  ever  intended  that  the 
written  word  should  be  put  into  the  hands  of  Pagans.  Indeed 
it  is  not  at  all  likely  that  a  Pagan  would  derive  the  least 
spiritual  protit  from  reading  even  the  New  Testament. 
Some  previous  training  would  surely  be  required. 

And  this  has  been  the  plan  of  the   Catholic  Church  from 


470  ALETHAURION. 

the  commencement.  She  does  not  put  the  scriptures  into 
the  hands  of  the  people  until  such  time  as  they  would  be 
likely  to  profit  by  the  reading  of  them. 

Let  us  here  take  a  rapid  survey  of  the  methods  used  by 
the  Catholic  missionary,  and  the  sectarian  minister,  respec^ 
tively,  in  dealing  with  Pagans. 

We  have  as  yet,  in  the  far  west,  some  tribes,  and  frag- 
ments of  others,  to  whom  this  country  originally  belonged. 
They  got  lead  in  exchange  for  a  part  of  their  lands,  and  fire- 
water, with  a  few  blankets,  and  some  damaged  provisions, 
for  the  rest. 

In  a  word,  they  have  been  cheated,  robbed,  and  then  shot 
down  and  murdered,  for  daring  to  complain  or  assert  their 
manhood.  The  writer  does  not  hold  the  civil  government 
entirely  responsible  for  such  iniquity. 

It  began  and  was  fully  developed  before  our  existence  as 
a  nation  ;  for  true  religion  was  not  on  hand  to  restrain  what 
human  passion  suggested.  The  civil  government  of  these 
States  has  ever  shown  a  desire  to  treat  the  Indian  fairly  and 
humanely  ;  but  the  spirit  of  heresy  has  as  often  stepped  in, 
to  neutralize  its  good  intentions. 

Years  ago,  when  a  school  boy,  we  read  in  histories  intended 
for  children,  a  good  deal  about  the  cruelties  of  Cortez,  in 
Mexico,  and  of  Pizarro,  in  Peru.  The  historian  appeared 
to  have  had  only  one  object  in  view,  which  was  to  show  how 
unjust  and  tyrannical  the  agents  of  the  so-called  Catholic 
government  could  be. 

We  do  not  here  undertake  to  write  an  apology  for  any 
one,  whether  Catholic  or  heretic,  who  does  iniquity.  The 
name  of  Catholic  will  not  save  him  if  he  be  guilty. 

But,  not  to  be  ponderous,  we  simply  ask,  how  does  it 
happen  that,  notwithstanding  all  that  has  been  said  about 
those  two  Spanish  worthies,  there  are  Indians  in  Mexico  and 
Peru  yet  and  none  here?     No  argument  can  upset  a  fact. 

The  Spanish  conquerors  may  have,  in  some  instances^ 
done  wrong  ;  no  doubt  they  did,  for  they  were  men  of  the 


) 


ALETHAURION.  471 

sword,  with  many  temptations  in  their  way.  But  the 
Catholic  Church,  to  which  they  belonged,  stepped  in  and 
healed,  as  far  as  possible,  t^e  wounds  which  human  passion 
had  inflicted. 

Its  action  saved  the  conqueied  Indian  tribes  from  exter- 
mination, and,  for  the  sovereignty  which  they  had  lost,  it 
gave  them  the  faith,  and  that  peace  which  the  world  cannot 
give.  This  accounts  for  the  existence  of  Indians  in  Mexico 
and  South  America. 

But  how  did  the  Catholic  Church  effect  what  we  are 
speaking  of?  It  was  in  this  way:  She  sent  priests  among 
those  people  who  taught  them  the  truths  of  Christianity, 
gained  their  confidence,  and  never  forfeited.it  by  unjust 
dealing.  Those  priests  established  schools  for  the  children 
and  taught  their  parents  the  rudiments  of  civilization. 

In  this  way,  those  tribes  were  brought  within  the  pale  of 
the  Church,  where  they,  or  rather  their  descendants,  remain 
to  this  hour,  cultivating  a  soil  inherited  from  their  fore- 
fathers, and  living,  with  few  exception,  the  lives  of 
Christian  men. 

The  Catholic  Church  did  not  send  colporteurs  into  Mexico 
to  sling  bibles  at  the  Aztecs,  and  then  drive  them  out  of  their 
own  country  for  not  being  able  to  read  and  understand  them^ 

She  took  a  different  plan,  and  the  result  shows  that  she 
alone  civilizes  the  savage  ;  and,  from  a  Pagan,  makes  a 
Christian  of  him.  The  very  same  thing  would  have  been 
done  in  this  country,  if  the  Church  had  been  given  free 
action. 

The  Indians  would  have  been  civilized  and  Christianized 
without  the  Bible  and  without  battles,  and,  at  this  day,  would 
be  numerous,  prosperous,  peaceable  and  happy,  instead  of 
being  as  they  are,  reduced  to  a  mere  handful  of  wretched 
starving  hostiles. 

And  if  those  blatant  bushwhacking  preachers,  that  in  early 
dftyh  went  trotting  tluok^rh  this  State,  with  the  Bil)]e  in  one 
saddle-pocket,  and  the  Lord  knows  what  not  in  the  other. 


472  ALETHAURIOX. 

*'  foaming  out  of  their  own  confusion,"  had  taught  a  religion 
of  love  instead  of  hate,  we  would  now  have  more  Indians 
and  less  bigotry. 

To  return  again  to  the  point :  What  in  the  name  of  com- 
mon sense  can  an  Indian  or  any  savage  do  with  the  Bible? 

Heretics  themselves,  who  pretend  to  learning  and  civiliza- 
tion, wrangle  over  its  meaning,  and  do  they  expect  savages 
to  take  in  the  whole  thing  as  by  inspiration? 

Give  the  Bible  to  a  Chinese  mandarin  who  never  had  any 
experience  among  Christians,  and,  far  from  being  al)le  to 
learn  in  its  fulness,  that  system  of  religion  which  Chkist 
taught,  the  volume  would  be  to  him  as  ab.surd  as  the  book 
of  Mormon  is  to  us. 

If  the  Bible  contains  all  that  Christ  revealed,  and  is  so 
plain  that  it  may  be  understood  by  each  one,  as  the  heretics 
say  it  is,  why  don't  they  all  agree?  What  warrant  have 
they  for  keeping  the  first  day  of  the  week  holy  instead  of  the 
seventh,  as  God  commanded  should  be  done. 

From  these  various  considerations  it  will  appear  that  the 
written  word  is  not,  of  itself,  a  sufficient  guide  to  lead  men 
to  heaven.  It  needs  the  light  of  divine  tradition,  without 
which  it  certainly  is  a  dangerous  volume  for  any  one  to 
handle. 

The  Apostles  and  evangelists  wrote  the  New  Testament. 
Its  full  meaning  they  taught  orally ;  and  this  apostolic 
interpretation  has  been  handed  down,  in  the  faith  and' prac- 
tice of  the  Roman  Church,  from  their  day  to  our  own. 

In  the  next  we  will  consider  the  question  whether  a  man 
who  has  road  the  Bible,  and  thinks  he  understands  it,  has  a 
right  to  constitute  himself  a  guide,  and  profess  ability  to 
lead  and  direct  others  to  heaven. 


i 


'W^ 


ALETHAURION.  473 


CHAPTER  CXI. 


} 


WHETHKK  ANY  ONE  WHO  HAS  READ  THE  BIBLE  AND  THINKS 
HE  UNDERSTANDS  IT  CAN  LAWFULLY  PROFESS  HIMSELF  A 
MINISTER  OF  CHRIST  AND  A  DISPENSER  OF  THE  MYSTER- 
IES   OF   GOD. 

From  the  beginning  of  the  world,  to  the  time  of  MosES, 
each  head  of  a  family  that  worshiped  the  true  God,  had  the 
right  to  offer  sacritiee  and  to  teach  his  children  with  author- 
ity, such  truths  as  had  been  revealed  either  immediately  to 
himself,  or  had  come  to  his  knowledge  by  tradition. 

But,  after  Moses  had  lead  the  chosen  people  out  of  Egypt 
he,  by  Divine  command,  restricted  the  right  of  offering  sac- 
riticeto  Aaron  and  his  posterity,  who,  assisted  by  the  other 
meml)ers  of  the  tribe  of  Levi,  were  henceforth  to  have  the 
exclusive  right  of  directing  and  managing  all  matters  apper- 
taining to  the  worship  of  God. 

This  restriction  was  not  pleasing  in  the  eyes  of  Core, 
Dathan  and  Abiron,  three  influential  and  envious  men  of 
that  day.  These  regarded  the  innovation  in  favor  of  Aaron 
and  his  children  as  something  not  to  be  tolerated  at  all. 

So  upon  their  own  authority,  they,  with  their  adherents, 
concluded  to  worship  God  as  they  saw  fit ;  Moses  and  his 
brother  Aaron  to  the  contrary,  notwithstanding.  We  are 
all  good  enough  to  be  priests,  said  they,  in  substance,  and 
why  do  you  two,  Moses  and  Aaron,  lift  yourselves  above 
the  people  of  the  Lord  ? 

But  God,  on  that  occasion,  taught  those  wicked  men 
that  it  is  His  prerogative  to  choose  out  from  among  men  those 
by  whom  He  wishes  to  b©  served  in  His  sanctuarv  ;  for  the 
earth  opened  and  s^^w^^hem  down  alive  into  hell, 
timbers  xvi. 


;^^^^ 

~ 


474  ALETHAUEIOX. 

•  From  all  of  which  it  appears  that,  among  the  Jews,  dur- 
ing, and  from  the  time  of  Moses,  it  was  not  lawful  for  each 
one  who  thought  he  understood  the  business  to  arrogate  tO' 
himself  the  title  and  privileges  of  a  minister  of  God. 

When  Christ  came  into  the  world,  He  abolished  the 
Aaronic  priesthood.  And,  though  we  have  Jews  yet,  they 
have  no  longer  a  sacrifice,  for  the  descendants  of  Aaron 
cannot  now  be  distinguished  from  the  common  herd. 

In  a  word,  there  is  not  a  Jew  living  that  knows  to  what 
tribe  he  belongs.  From  the  days  of  Jacob  to  the  destruc- 
tion of  their  city,  each  Hebrew  family  knew  from  which  one 
of  his  sons  it  had  drawn  its  origin,  for  genealogical  tables 
were  kept  in  every  house  with  the  greatest  care. 

But,  because  those  tablets  have  for  ages  been  lost,  it  so 
happens,  that  the  pedigree  of  a  modern  Jew  is  as  perplexed 
as  that  of  the  average  Gentile. 

The  Jewish  Church  and  sacrifice  having  ceased,  let  us 
next  inquire  whether,  in  the  New  Dispensation,  there  be  a 
body  of  men  corresponding  to  Aaron  and  the  Levites,  or 
whether,  as  in  patriarchal  times  each  one  who  wishes  to* 
minister  in  the  holy  place  is  at  liberty  to  do  so  without  a 
vocation. 

That  there  is  a  distinction  in  the  Church  of  Christ,  analo- 
gous to  that  in  synagogues  which  preceded  it,  may  be 
proved  in  two  ways. 

First  of  all  we  have  occular  demonstration  of  the  fact  in 
the  Catholic  Church,  which  goes  back  year  after  year  and 
century  after  century  to  the  time  when  Christ  lived  upon 
this  earth. 

The  mysteries  of  God  are  dispensed  only  by  a  set  of  men 
specially  set  apart  for  that  purpose,  and  comprised  in  three 
grades  or  classes,  viz  :  Bishops,  priests  and  deacons. 

Beginning  with  this  nineteenth  century,  and  sailing  up  the 
stream  of  time,  we  find  them  in  every  age,  now  administer- 
ing the  sacraments,  now  preachings  the  gospel ;  regarding 
themselves  and  regarded  by  the  people,  as  a  distinct  class. 


i 


ALETHAURION.  475 

History  fixes  no  period  subsequent  to  the  time  of  the 
Apostles,  when  the  distinction  we  si)eiilv  of  began  ;  and  it 
even  forbids  us  to  entertain,  for  one  moment,  the  theory 
that  it  was  not  so  from  the  l)oginning. 

Here  then,  we  have  a  public  fact ;  we  have  in  the  Church, 
which  Christ  founded,  a  hierarchy  claiming  exclusive  right 
to  dispense  the  mysteries  of  God,  and  having  that  claim 
allowed  without  a  dissenting  voice  in  the  whole  Church. 
There  must  be  some  cause  to  account  for  it,  and  we  confi- 
dently affirm,  without  fear  of  successful  contradiction,  that 
none  can  be  found  until  one  goes  back  to  Jesus  of  Nazareth. 

The  conclusion,  therefore,  is  that  Christ  set  apart  some 
in  His  Church  to  direct  and  control  in  spiritual  matters. 
This  same  truth  will  also  appear,  no  less  clearly  to  the  mind 
if  we  take  up  the  New  Testament,  even  as  a  history,  and 
examine  its  pages. 

We  learn  from  three  of  the  gospels  that  Christ,  on  the 
night  before  His  crucifixion,  while  seated  w^ith  His  Apostles 
at  table  in  an  upper  chamber  of  a  house  in  Jerusalem, 
took  bread,  which  he  gave  them  with  the  words :  <'Take 
and  eat,  this  is  my  body."  In  like  manner  the  wine,  saying: 
**  Drink  ye  all,  this  is  my  blood  ;  do  this  in  commemoration 
of  Me.'*  Christ  on  that  occasion  offered  a  sacrifice,  in 
accordance  with  the  words  of  holy  David,  speaking  of  the 
future  Messiah :  **The  Lord  hath  sworn,  and  it  shall  not 
TQpent  Him  ;  thou  art  a  priest  forever  according  to  the 
order  of  Melchisedec."  Ps.  109.  He  empowered  and 
commanded  the  twelve  Apostles,  only  to  do  what  He  had 
done.  Let  it  be  remembered  that  Christ  had,  at  the  same 
time,  seventy-two  disciples  ;  yet,  as  neither  they  nor  His 
Blessed  Mother  were  present  on  the  occasion,  neither 
received  the  powers  given  to  the  twelve. 

Again:  To  the  Apostles  alone,  He  said:  ''Receive  ye 
the  Holy  Ghost ;  whose  sins  you  shall  forgive,  they  are  for- 
given ;  and  whose  sins  you  shall  retain,  they  are  retained.'' 
And  before  ascending  to  the  Father,  He  said  to  them  and 


476  ALETHAURION. 

to  their  successors,  alone:  '<  All  power  is  given  to  Me*  in 
heaven  and  on  earth.  Go  ye,  therefore,  and  teach  all 
nations,  baptizing  them  in  the  name  of  the  Father,  and  of 
the  Son,  and  of  the  Holy  Ghost ;  teaching  them  to  observe 
all  things  whatsoever  I  have  commanded  you  ;  and  behold, 
I  am  with  you  all  days,  even  to  the  consummation  of  the 
world."     Matth.  xxviii. 

Here,  in  those  texts  already  given,  and  in  others  which 
could  be  adduced,  we  see  a  distinction  made  between  the 
Apostles  and  the  other  followers  of  Christ  ;  the  very  same  that 
is  observed  at  this  day  in  the  Catholic  Church,  between  the 
•clergy  and  the  laity.  The  Apostles  themselves,  true  to  the 
instructions  they  had  received  from  the  Saviour,  taught  the 
people  everywhere,  to  make  the  same  distinction. 

*'  Let  a  man  so  regard  us,"  says  St.  Paul,  *'  as  the  min- 
isters of  Christ  and  dispensers  of  the  mysteries  of  God." 
I  Cor.  iv.  *'  Neither  doth  any  man  take  the  honor  to  him- 
self, but  he  that  is  called  by  God,  as  Aaron  was."  Heb.  v,  4. 
The  latter  is  a  very  important  text,  and  should  be  well 
studied.  Paul  maintains  that  before  one  run  the  risk  of 
calling  himself  a  priest,  or  a  minister  of  the  gospel,  he  should 
have  a  vocation,  ^.  e.,  be  called,  either  by  God  Himself 
directly,  or  by  some  one  who  has  authority.  Though  Aaron 
had  a  divine  vocation,  yet  it  was  Moses  that  authorized  him 
to  act. 

Again,  says  the  Apostle  :  **  How  can  they  preach  unless 
they  be  sent?'^  Rom.  x,  15.  All  these  texts  go  to  show 
that,  as  now,  there  was  also  in  the  days  of  the  Apostles  a 
clergy  and  a  laity  in  the  Church. 

The  Apostle  asks  :  **  How  can  they  preach  unless  they 
be  sent?"  St.  Paul  is  here  somewhat  old-fashioned  in  his 
language  ;  and  most  likely,  when  that  new  translation  of 
the  Bible  comes  out,  to  take  the  place  of  King  James'  ver- 
sion, the  passage  will  read  :  **  How  can  they  preach  unless 
they  have  a  call."  Sectarians,  in  speaking  of  their  preach- 
ing brethren,  always  carefully  avoid  the  use  of  the  word 


ALETHArniON.  477 

snify  which  implies  an  authority  in  the  Church.  A  111:111 
who  is  not  sent  has  evidently  no  right  to  preach,  according 
to  the  Scrij^turcs.  Sectarianism  is  Aveak  on  that  point,  and 
feels  it.  Who  sent  Lutiieh?  Who  sent  Calvin?  Who 
sent  Wesley?  Who  sent  Campbell?  Who  sent  San^eden- 
liORG?  Were  they  sent  by  Goi>  directly,  or  were  they  fccnt 
by  sr)me  authority  here  on  earth?  If  by  God  directly,  tell 
us  what  miracles  did  they  perform,  in  proof  of  their  extra- 
ordinary mission.  If  by  an  earthly  authority,  tell  us  its 
name. 

None  of  these  heresiarchs  were  sent  to  preach  by  the  Cath- 
olic Church  :  and  they  could  not  have  been  sent  by  those  con- 
venticles which  they  themselves  founded,  for  a  being  must 
exist  before  it  can  act.  Hence,  outside  of  the  Catholic  Church, 
there  can  be  no  such  thing  as  a  mission.  For  if  one  goes 
l)ack  far  enough  into  the  history  of  any  sectarian  conventicle 
he  will  find  that  it  was  first  organized  by  somebody  who  was 
not  himself  sent,  and,  as  a  consequence,  had  no  right  nor 
authority  to  send  others. 

Sectarians  forget  that  the  Church  of  Christ  is  a  king- 
dom, with  all  the  machinery  of  government.  And,  just  as 
the  writer  of  this,  though  a  citizen  of  the  United  States,  is 
not  entitled  to  handle  the  mails  that  come  to  this  point, 
without  the  authority  of  the  President,  so  neither  can  a 
simple  member  of  the  Church  of  Christ  act  in  an  official 
capacity,  without  the  authorization  of  Christ's  vicar  on 
earth. 

So  far  we  have  considered  some  things  a  member  of  the 
laity  cannot  lawfully  do. 


478  ALETHAURION. 


CHAPTER  CXII. 


SOME  SPECULATIONS  REGARDING  THE  EXTENT  TO  WHICH  A 
LAYMAN  IS  A  MINISTER  OF  CHRIST  AND  DISPENSER  OF 
THE   MYSTERIES   OF   GOD. 

In  the  last  chapter  we  spoke  of  the  distinction  made  by 
the  Saviour  between  the  Apostles  and  those  others  who 
believed  in  them.  To  the  former  He  gave  all  power  and 
authority  in  His  Church,  and,  upon  the  latter,  He  imposed 
the  obligation  of  obedience.  The  Apostles  represented  the 
hierarchy,  or  teaching  and  governing  part  of  the  Church. 
This  was  organized,  with  Peter  at  its  head,  before  Pente- 
cost, the  day  on  which  the  ship  was  formally  set  afloat. 
The  captain  and  crew  were  already  on  board,  at  their  posts, 
and  only  awaited  passengers ;  three  thousand  of  whom 
entered  their  names  on  the  date  aforesaid. 

We  may  here  lay  it  down  as  a  principle,  that  all  ordinary 
power  in  the  Church  was  given  to  the  Apostles  alone.  To 
them  only  it  was  said  :  **  As  the  Father  hath  sent  Me,  so 
also  I  send  you,"  '*  going  forth,  teach  all  nations  .  .  . 
teach  them  to  observe  all  things  whatsoever  I  have  com- 
manded you."  Extraordinary  powers,  such  as  the  gift  of 
miracles,  prophecy,  etc.,  were  given,  and  still  are,  to  others. 
The  ordinary  powers  are  three  in  number,  viz :  authority  to 
preach  the  Gospel,  to  administer  the  Sacraments,  and  to 
govern  the  Church. 

We  may  now  inquire  whether,  in  the  first  place,  the  twelve 
had  a  right  to  delegate  the  power  received ;  and  in  the 
second,  to  what  extent  such  was  actually  done.  The  first  ques- 
tion is  one  easily  solved.  **  As  the  Father  hath  sent  Me," 
said  Christ  to  them,  **  so  also,  I  send  you."  Christ  could 
delegate  His  power  ;  therefore  the  same  is  true  of  the  Apos- 
tles.    But  the  extent  to  which  it  was  actually  done,  can  be 


ALETIIAURION.  479 

learned  only  in  one  way,  viz :  by  a  study  of  the  faith  and 
practice  of  the  Roman  Church.  That  faith  and  })rac- 
tice  teaches,  that  they  transmitted  to  bishops  all  the 
ordinary  powers  received  from  Christ.  To  priests,  as  part 
of  an  undivided  whole,  they  gave  power  to  preach  the  gos- 
pel, to  administer  all  the  sacraments  except  one  (orders), 
and  to  rule  and  direct  a  portion  of  God's  people.  To  dea- 
cons they  gave  the  right  to  serve  the  priest  or  bishop  at  the 
altar,  to  distribute  the  bread  of  life  to  the  people,  to  have 
care  of  temporalities,  and  to  preach  the  gospel.  To  all 
mankind,  without  exception,  to  the  end  of  time,  the  Apos- 
tles gave  the  power  to  administer,  validly,  the  sacrament  of 
Baptism,  and,  when  baptized,  that  of  Matrimony. 

As  the  reader  will  observe,  we  have  here  called  attention 
to  first  principles  only  ;  which  must  be  taken  in  connection 
with  that  principle  of  authority^  which  runs  through  the 
entire  Church.  The  Apostles  gave  no  bishop  the  right  to 
minister,  as  independent  of  the  Pope ;  they  gave  to  no 
presbyter  or  deacon,  immunity  from  episcopal  supervision, 
they  gave  to  no  one  of  the  laity  a  right  to  ignore  his  imme- 
diate pastor. 

As  regards  the  governing  power  in  the  Church,  it  may  he 
well  to  bear  in  mind,  that  the  Apostles  reserved  that  in  toto 
to  the  hierarchy,  composed  of  bishops,  priests  and  deacons. 
Hence*,  those  lay  trustees  that  are  to  be  found  in  some  par- 
ishes, who  arrogantly  assume  to  themselves  the  right  to 
direct  and  control,  on  the  ground  that  priests  know  nothing 
about  financial  matters,  go  beyond  their  powers. 

The  priest,  according  to  the  apostolic  plan,  is  to  be  the 
director,  and  his  decision  holds  good  until  modified  or 
reversed  by  superior  authority.  The  right  of  appeal  is  how- 
ever, at  all  times  to  be  cheerfully  admitted.  It  is  just  and 
proper  that  the  pastor  should  control,  for  churches  are  pri- 
marily, and  we  would  even  say  solely,  houses  of  prayer. 
They  are  built  as  aids  to  lead  us  to  heaven.  But  when  man- 
.aged  by  a  clique  of  worldly-minded  men  who  have  money 


480  ALETHAURIOX. 

alone  on  the  brain,  a  Christian  Church  may  very  easily 
become  what  the  temple  at  Jerusalem  was  in  our  Saviour's 
time,  viz:  *'  A  den  of  thieves."     Matt,  xxi,  13. 

Usury,  with  all  its  damnable  concomitants,  should  be 
scourged  forever  from  the  house  of  God. 

Thus  we  have  spoken  of  the  prerogatives  o§  the  clergy, 
and  the  rights  of  the  laity,  so  far  as  the  government  of  the 
Church  and  the  administration  of  the  sacraments  are  con- 
cerned. Let  us,  in  the  next  place,  consider  to  whom  and  to 
what  extent  the  Apostles  transmitted  the  power  to  preach 
the  gospel. 

Now,  we  believe  that  much  confusion  of  thought  may  be 
avoided,  and  loads  of  learning  saved  by  one  simple  distinc- 
tion. The  Apostles  transmitted  to  the  hierarchy  the  power 
to  preach  the  gospel,  as  a  duty  to  he  fulfilled.  Others  may 
use  the. sword  of  the  spirit,  but  arc  not  bound,  as  regularly 
enlisted  soldiers.  A  command  is  given  to  the  hierarchy, 
permission  is  granted  to  the  laity.  A  special  grace  accom- 
panies the  former,  a  rich  reward  goes  with  the  latter. 
Hence,  each  and  every  man  living  has  the  right  to  preach 
Catholic  doctrine,  *'  for  it  is  good  to  hide  the  secret  of  a 
king,  but  honorable  to  reveal  and  confess  the  woi-ks  of 
God,"  said  Kapilel  to  Tobias,  xii,  7. 

And  should  a  layman  desire  to  devote  his  energies  to  the 
spread  of  Catholic  truth,  the  writer  knows  of  no  law  to  pre- 
vent him,  so  long  as  he  teaches  sound  doctrine,  and  disturbs 
not  the  existing  order  in  the  Church. 

Thus  far  the  theory.  Practically,  such  a  thing  would  not 
be  desirable  to  any  great  extent.  For,  considering  the  weak- 
ness of  human  nature,  unsustained  by  the  grace  which  the 
Sacrament  of  Order  gives,  it  would  be  more  than  likely  that 
such  Quixotic  zeal  would  soon  end  in  a  fiasco.  The  present 
discipline  of  the  Church  on  that  point,  is  the  result  of  cen- 
turies of  experience,  and  the  creature  of  a  day  should  open 
the  safety-valve  of  his  conceit  chamber  before  attempting 
an  improvement. 


ALETHAURION.  481 

As  regards  the  dissemination  of  Catholie  truth  through 
newspapers,  the  case  is  different.  The  layman,  whose  zeal 
is  directly  through  that  channel,  preserves  intact  his  family 
and  social  relations.  The  propositions  he  puts  forward  may 
easily  be  examined,  and  their  tone  and  drift  maturely  con- 
sidered by  those  whose  duty  it  is  to  watch  over  the  flock, 
and  see  that  no  poison,  under  the  name  of  food,  is  smuggled 
into  the  fold.  We  do  not  wish  to  enter  here  into  the  rami- 
fications of  positive  law  on  the  subject  of  printed  publica- 
tions, on  doctrinal  themes. 

But  we  state  it  is  as  our  opinion  that  the  theory  w^hich 
would  make  the  episcopal  imprimatur  a  necessary  preface 
to  a  Catholic  journal,  is  unsound. 

It  must  never  be  forgotten  that  the  Catholic  Church 
is  not  a  stranded  vessel,  but  still  afloat,  and  that  its  oflScers 
may  take  in  or  let  out  sail,  as  the  needs  of  the  hour 
may  require.  In  a  word,  it  must  be  borne  in  mind. that  in 
Kome  there  is  not  only  a  judicial  but  also  a  legislative 
authority. 

Hence,  though  one  should  grant,  which  need  not,  howxver, 
be  done,  that  in  past  years,  the  imprimatur  was  necessary  to 
a  Catholic  newspaper,  in  the  light  of  recent  acts  and 
declarations  of  the  chief  bishop,  it  would  no  longer  follow 
that  such  is  now  the  case. 

But  the  right  of  the  ordinary,  to  have  supervision  over  a 
Catholic  journal  published  in  his  diocese,  no  Catholic  will 
deny. 

The  injured  party,  however,  in  case  of  condemnation,  may 
appeal  to  higher  authority.  But  he  should  not  bring  his 
case  into  the  Church  before  having  had  recourse  to  those 
other  means  mentioned  in  the  gospel. 

In  our  next  we  return  once  more  to  the  life  and  timjss  of 
St.  Paul. 


482  ALETHAURION. 


CHAPTER  CXIII. 


ST.  PAUL  VISITS  JERUSALEM  FOR  THE  LAST  TIME,  IS  ARRESTED 
BY  THE  JEWS,  TRIED,  AND  SENT  FOR  SAFE  KEEPING  TO 
C^SAREA. 

After  having  preached  the  gospel  and  founded  churches 
in  Asia  Minor,  Syria,  Macedonia,  Greece  and  other  parts, 
Paul  returned  to  the  Holy  City,  for  the  last  time. 

On  arrival  he  proceeded  without  delay  to  the  house  of 
St.  James  the  Apostle,  and  bishop  of  Jerusalem.  To  him 
and  to  the  ancients  he  *'  related  particularly  what  things 
God  had  wrought  among  the  Gentiles  by  his  ministry." 
Acts  xxi.  10. 

They  were  pleased  at  the  recital,  and  glorified  the  Lord. 
But  knowing  the  impetuous  character  of  Paul,  they  counseled 
moderation  and  prudence,  so  as  not  to  excite  the  fury 
of  those  Jews  who  lived  in  the  city. 

He  appears  to  have  yielded  to  their  suggestions,  and,  as 
his  principal  sin,  in  the  estimation  of  his  unconverted  coun- 
trymen, consisted  in  not  causing  the  law  of  Moses  to  be 
observed,  he  purified  himself  and  others  that  were  with  him, 
in  order  to  gain  the  good  will  of  the  unbelieving,  or  at 
least  prevent  their  active  opposition. 

The  observance  of  the  Mosaic  law,  was,  of  course,  no 
longer  obligatory,  yet  the  early  followers  of  the  Saviour 
did  not  abandon  it  at  once,  partly  from  prudential  motives, 
and  partly  in  order  to  bury  the  synagogue  with  honor. 

But  Paul's  efforts  to  conciliate,  went  wide  of  the  mark. 
His  character  for  restless  zeal  in  the  cause  of  the  Nazarene 
was  too  well  known. 

And  those  Jews  that  had  seen  and  heard  him  in  Asia, 
were  fully  persuaded  that   the  leopard  would  change  his 


ALETHAURION.  483 

spots  and  the  Ethiopian  his  skin,  before  he  would  change 
his  aorijressive  habits. 

Homer  represents  Hector  as  always  either  engaged  in  a 
battle  or  preparing  for  one  ;  and  indeed,  the  same  may  be 
said  of  the  Apostle  of  the  Gentiles.  He  was  never  at  rest, 
not  even  in  prison,  and  possibly  in  his  dreams  he  fought 
over  again  the  battles  of  the  Lord.  His  presence  alone  was 
a  menace  to  falsehood,  and  it  was  so  felt. 

Hence,  one  day  as  he  was  in  the  temple,  not  disputing 
or  interfering  with  any  one,  some  Asiatic  Jews  sat  upon 
him,  dragged  him  outside  the  door,  and  would  have  mur- 
dered him,  had  not  the  military  tribune  come  to  his  rescue 
with  a  band  of  soldiers. 

The  officer,  without  waiting  to  inquire  who  was  to  blame, 
seized  on  Paul,  and  having  bound  him  with  chains,  took 
him  off  to  prison. 

On  the  way,  he  asked  permission  to  speak  to  the  crowd, 
which  by  this  time  was  very  large,  and  leave  having  been 
granted,  he  told  the  circumstances  of  his  conversion. 

The  Jews  listened  for  a  time  ;  but  when  he  declared  that 
God  had  destined  him  to  preach  the  gospel  to  the  Gentiles, 
they  could  stand  it  no  longer  and  cried  him  down.  Some, 
in  their  fury,  cast  off  their  garments  and  threw  dust  in  the 
air,  like  a  herd  of  maddened  cattle. 

Paul  was  next  brought  before  tho  council,  composed  of 

the  high-priest  and  chief  men  of  the  synagogue.     But  when 

he  began  to  speak,  the  high-priest  commanded  one  of  the 

attendants  to  strike  him  on   the  mouth,  which   made  the 

apostle  call  his  loftiness  a  whitcd  wall. 

*'  For  sittest  thou  there  to  judge  me  according  to  the  law,'*  said  he, 
*•  and  contrary  to  the  law  commaudest  me  to  be  struck.''     Acts  xxiii,  3. 

From  the  glimpses  we  get,  through  the  sacred  writings, 
of  Paul's  personal  character,  he  appears  to  us  as  a  man  of 
the  linest  sensibilities  ;  totally  incapable  of  wantonly  hurting 
the  feelings  of  any  one. 

But  he  did  not  respect  iniquity  in  high  places,  nor  make 


484  ALETHAUEION. 

a  drone  of  himself  to  avoid  beinsj  res^arded  bv  his  enemies 
as  a  dangerous  opponent.  The  good  and  the  truthful  loved 
and  admired  him,  but  the  wicked  thought  him  arrogant, 
because  he  bore  testimony  against  their  meanness. 

True  heroism  is  not  spasmodic,  but  an  abiding  viixue  of 
the  mind,  and  Paul,  yielding  sometimes  to  the  force  of 
circumstances,  but  never  abandoning  through  fear,  a  specific 
and  grand  design,  is  one  of  the  highest  types  of  a  hero. 

Napoleon  once  said  that  you  could  never  form  a  reliable 
judgment  of  an  enemy's  bravery,  except  when  under  fire. 
Probably  the  panic  amongst  his  own  men  at  Waterloo  was 
what  put  the  idea  into  his  head.     But  he  was  correct. 

What  the  action  of  the  multitude  may  be,  must  remain  an 
unknown  quantity  until  the  day  of  trial  comes.  The  reason 
is,  because  true  heroism  is  as  rare  as  true  genius.  It  is  the 
twin  brother  of  sanctity,  and  has  a  very  close  resemblance 
to  it. 

We  may  sometimes  bet  on  a  man,  but  to  wager  money  on 
the  multitude  is  to  run  the  risk  of  losing  it. 

The  reader  must  not  take  what  is  here  said  as  favoring  the 
kingly  form  of  government,  which  would  be  contrary  to  the 
writer's  conscientious  opinion.  We  believe  in  a  republican 
form  of  State  government. 

A  heroic,  wise  and  just  king  would  certainly  be  a  blessing 
to  any  country.  But  the  main  difficulty  would  be  to  find 
such  a  one,  and  to  keep  him  from  getting  spoiled  after  dis- 
covery. Republics  are  the  natural  consequences  of  monarchi- 
cal failures. 

In  the  former,  one  party  watches  the  other,  and  thievery 
is  kept  within  bounds  but  to  mistrust  royalty,  would  be 
unprofitable,  and  dangerous  withal. 

When  Paul  had  been  brought  before  the  council,  he  ob- 
served that  it  was  made  up,  principally,  of  Pharisees  and 
Sadducees.  The  former  believed  in  a  hereafter,  and  in  the 
resurrection  of  the  body,  as  well  as  in  the  doctrine  of  rewards 


ALETHAURION.  485 

and  punishments,  in  the  future  life.  They  also  accepted  the 
books  recognized  as  divine,  by  the  Jews  of  our  day,  twenty- 
two  ill  number. 

The  Sadducees  would  receive  no  others  than  the  five  books 
of  Moses  :  denied  the  existence  of  spirits,  and  maintained 
that  men  are  rewarded  or  punished  iu  this  life  only,  for  the 
good  or  evil  they  may  do. 

Between  those  two  sects  there  was  as  much  disputing  and 
wrangling  on  points  of  belief,  as  between  Methodists  and 
Campbellites  of  this  country.  But  the  Pharisees,  being 
more  numerous,  more  learned  in  the  law,  and  more  bare- 
facedly pious,  generally  succeeded  in  carrying  the  day. 

St.  Paul  had  but  little  to  expect  from  either  party,  Tor 
both  had  opposed  the  Saviour,  and  neither  had  any  love  for 
His  Apostles.  But,  by  a  shrewd  maneuver,  making  use  of 
an  ambiguous  expression,  he  gained  the  good  will  of  one  of 
the  parties,  and  escaped  their  united  malice. 

To  have  recourse  to  similar  tactics  would  be  lawful  also 
at  the  present  day,  under  proper  circumstances.  Let  us 
suppose  a  town  or  city  inhabited  by  heretics  and  infidels,  and 
that  between  both  there  is  much  relii^ious  hatred,  the  one 
maintaining  the  authenticity,  integrity,  veracity  and  inspira- 
tion of  the  scriptures,  and  the  other  denying  one  and  all 
these  truths. 

A  Catholic,  persecuted   for  the  faith,  and  brought  before 

a  council  composed  of  men  from  both  sides,  could  make  use 

of  the  same  ruse,  and  say,  almost  in  Paul's  words. 

"  Men,  brethren,  I  am  a  believer  in  the  Bible,  the  son  of  a  man  who 
believed  in  it :  Concerning  the  truth  contained  therein  I  am  called  in 
question.""    Actsxxiii,6. 

Thus  Paul  escaped  the  fury  of  those  bloodhounds,  who 
now  turned  upon  one  another  and  wrangled.  The  tribune, 
fearing  that  he  might  be  torn  in  pieces  amongst  them',  sent 
soldiers,  who  again  conducted  him  to  prison. 

But  the  danger  w^as  not  yet  over.     Next  day  no  less  than 


486  ALETHAURION. 

forty  Jews  entered  into  a  conspiracy,  and  *' bound  them- 
selves  with  a  curse,  that  they  would  neither  eat  nor  drink 
till  they  had  killed  Paul." 

Their  plan  was  to  get  the  chief  priests  to  have  him  brought 
once  more  before  the  council,  and  they,  lying  in  wait,  would 
assassinate  him  as  he  was  led  from  prison. 

Having  learned  their  designs,  and  wishing  to  give  them 
ample  time  to  fast,  he  made  known  the  secret  to  the  tribune, 
who  immediately  took  measures  to  send  him  to  Ccesarea, 
where  Governor  Felix  laid  down  the  law,  and  made  others 
observe  it. 

Before  accompanying  the  Apostle  thither,  we  will  state  a 
few*  truths  regarding  secret  societies  :  a  subject  suggested  by 
the  conspiracy  already  mentioned. 


CHAPTER  CXIY. 


SECRET  SOCIETIES  AND  KINDRED  SUBJECTS. 

A  proclivity  for  clap-trap  and  secrecy  is  a  weakness  that 
seems  inherent,  if  not  to  all,  at  least  to  very  many  of  Adam's 
race.  It  may  be  noticed  even  in  the  savage,  though  it 
attains  the  perfection  belonging  to  its  species,  in  civiliza- 
tion. 

The  various  tribes,  hostile  one  to  another,  found  on  this 
continent  at  the  time  of  its  discovery,  point  out  the  exis« 
tence  of  a  powerful  centrifugal  force  in  human  nature,  for 
in  all  probability,  there  were  not  at  first,  more  than  a  few 
distinct  families. 

But  in  the  course  of  time,  rivalries  sprang  up  between 
leading  men  ;  then  secrecy  and  scheming  took  the  place  of 
manly  arts. 

As  among  savages,  the  coercive  force  to  maintain  unity 
was  not  strong,  schism  after  schism  was  the  natural  result ; 
until  the  presence  of  some  common  danger  made   further 


ALETIIAUKION.  487 

division  not  desirable.  Among  civilized  people,  on  the  con- 
trary, there  appears  to  be,  in  our  time,  a  tendency  to  agglo- 
meration.    This  comes  of  superior  political  sagacity. 

Men  are  getting  to  see  more  and  more  the  advantages  of 
unrestrained  intercourse  with  one  another  ;  and  the  day  is 
possibly  not  distant  when  the  whole  of  North  America  will 
be  only  one  and  the  same  nation  ;  with  home  rule  in  each 
particular  state,  and  a  central  authority  to  complement  the 
whole. 

England  at  one  time  had  seven  kings  ;  and  Ireland  had 
many  princes  with,  long  pedigrees.  Until  recently,  Ger- 
many was  cut  up  like  sauer-kraut,  with  grand  dukes  and 
electors,  too  thick  to  thrive.  Italy,  too,  had  its  stock  of 
princes,  each  independent,  and  with  one  exception,  insig- 
nificant. 

But  things  have  changed  within  the  present  century,  and 
we  hope  that  before  another  hundred  years  shall  have 
passed,  kings  will  be  confined  principally  to  the  chess-board 
and  to  the  stage,  where  they  shine  brightest  and  do  the 
least  harm. 

With  the  establishment  of  republics  in  the  various  coun- 
tries of  Europe,  the  process  of  agglomeration  will  go  on 
more  steadily,  and  standing  armies,  those  adjuncts  of  des- 
potism, that  paralyze  in  peace,  and  destroy  in  war,  will  be 
out  of  a  job. 

But  though  superior  intelligence  causes  men  to  unite  on 
some  grand  and  leading  principle,  and  to  resent  the  viola 
tioa  of  it  on  the  part  of  individuals,  still  that  centrifugal 
force — that  weakness  for  separation,  will  in  all  probability,, 
be  never  totally  eradicated. 

In  these  United  States,  where  the  general  government  is 
loved  by  the  majority  and  respected  by  all,  that  itching  for 
division  from  the  herd  manifests  itself  in  the  multitude  of 
secret  societies.  Besides  Free  Masons  and  Odd  Fellows  we 
have  an  almost   endless  secondary  list,  some   local,  others 


488  ALETHAURION. 

national,  and  the  catalogue  is  not  as  yet  completed,  for  new 
ones  are  daily  springing  into  existence.  Now  it  is  iKjtto  be 
wondered  at,  that  in  countries  like  Russia  and  Germany, 
where  the  people  are  trampled  in  the  dust  by  their  rulers, 
and  where  a  man  can  scarcely  breathe  the  free  air  of  heaven 
without  a  license  from  the  king,  that  there  should  be  secret 
leagues  among  the  people,  in  order  to  rid  themselves  of  the 
monstrous  incubus.  But  here  in  America,  where  every  one 
whose  cause  is  just,  has  not  only  free  speech  and  free  action, 
but  likewise  the  sympathy  and  support  of  the  country  and 
its  institutions,  it  appears  strange  at  first  sight,  that  there 
should  be  found  so  many  secret  cliques. 

Before  entering  into  speculations  regarding  the  cause  of 
this,  it  may  be  proper  in  a  cursory  way,  to  call  attention  to 
an  important  point  of  distinction  between  the  secret  socie- 
ties of  Europe  and  those  of  America.  Many,  if  not  all,  of 
the  former,  are  revolutionary  in  their  tendencies  ;  i.  e.,  they 
aim  at  the  overthrow  of  the  civil  government  or  of  the 
Church.  In  Russia,  the  Nihilists,  wearied  with  despotism 
and  injustice,  would  liberate  themselves  from  a  galling 
bondage,  by  the  destruction  of  the  throne  itself.  In  France 
and  Italy,  where  the  secret  societies  manage  the  govern- 
ment, their  action  is  directed  against  the  Church.  In  this 
country,  on  the  contrary,  there  is  not,  so  far  as  we  can  see, 
that  same  revolutionary  spirit  among  secret  societies  ;  yet, 
they  are  not  the  less  to  be  dreaded,  for  they  are  like  pow- 
der magazines. 

Secrecy  alone,  is   a   presumption   of   guilt.     The   great 

Teacher  and  Model  of  our  race,  has  said  ; 

*' Every  one  that  doeth  evil  hateth  the  light,  and  conieth  not  to  the 
light  that  his  worlcs  may  not  be  reproved :  but  he  that  doeth  trnlh, 
cometli  to  the  light,  that  his  works  may  be  made  manifest,  because  they 
are  done  in  God."    John  iii,  20  21. 

If  you  analyze  the  motives  of  any  man  who  enters  a  secret 

society,  you  will   find  them,  in  nine  cases  out  of   ten,  either 

vain,  selfish  or   sinful — principally   vain  or   selfish.     AVhen 


ALETHAURION.  489 

we  take  into  consideration  the  influence  wielded  by  such 
societies,  the  secret  bonds  of  friendship  between  the  mem- 
bers, their  oiiths  to  be  true  to  one  another,  etc.,  it  will  no 
longer  astonish  us  that  men  who  seek  preferment,  success  in 
business,  or  social  standing,  should  wish  to  have  theirnames 
inscribed  on  the  rolls  of  one  or  more  of  them. 

But,  what  harm  can  there  be  in  making  friends  and  allies 
to  help  us  through  in  the  battle  of  life?  says  some  one.  We 
freely  admit  that,  in  dealing  with  a  non-Catholic,  it  is  not 
an  easy  thing  to  convince  him  that  he  is  wrong  in  being  a 
Freemason  or  Odd  Fellow.  He  reasons  thus  :  Our  society 
is  established  for  no  revolutionary  purpose  ;  men  of  all  shades 
of  political  opinion  can  become  members  ;  we  require  no 
religious  test  from  any  one  ;  Catholics,  Protestants,  Jews 
and  Infidels  may  join  us,  if  they  wish,  and  still  go  to  their 
own  places  of  worship  on  Sundays,  or  stay  away,  just  as 
they  choose.  We  make  w^ar  upon  no  government.  Church 
or  organization.  Our  objects  are  brotheily  love,  mutual  aid, 
and  sociability. 

What  reply  shall  we  give  to  a  man  who  states  his  case  in 
the  foregoing  words? 

A  substantial  answer  to  the  Freemason's  plea,  implies  a 
long  argument  showing  that  Christ,  who  proved  His 
Divinity  by  rising  from  the  dead,  established  on  earth  a 
society  intrusted  with  man's  peace  of  soul  here,  and  his 
happiness  hereafter ;  that  said  society  is  the  Catholic 
Church,  and  that  what  she  condemns  cannot  be  really 
good  or  advantageous  to  mankind.  This  is  the  only  line 
of  argument  by  which  one  can  reach  a  non-Catholic  Free- 
mason. 

Little  incidents  do  occur,  from  time  to  time,  that  may  be 
used  to  advantage  against  secret  societies.  Thus,  f«)r  exam- 
ple, a  Freemason,  high  in  the  order,  commits  a  felony,  that 
might  take  one  of  the  uninitiated  to  the  State's  prison  or  to 
the  gallows  ;  but  the  judge  is  a  brother,  the  sheriff  is  a 
brother,  more   than  half  of  the  most  influential  jurors   a.Tfi 


490  ALETHAUKION. 

i, 

brothers,  the   lawyers   on  both  sides   are  brothers,  and   the- 
felon  slips  out  of  the  clutches  of  the  law  between  them. 

In  this  consists  the  very  essence  of  those  societies  contem- 
plated in  the  anathemas  of  the  Church.  When  allegiance  to- 
a  society  is  made  paramount  to  the  fidelity  which  is  lawfully 
due  the  State  or  Church,  then  it  becomes  sinful,  and  the 
organization  that  encourages  it  can  be  little  else  than  an 
engine  of  Satan. 

It  is  to  counteract  the  evil  influence  of  those  secret  socie- 
ties which  are  under  heretical  or  infidel  control,  that  others, 
modeled  almost  on  their  plan,  have  been  established,  and 
are  very  properly  encouraged  among  the  faithful.  In  this; 
way,  men  with  a  weakness  for  bunting,  processions,  and 
clap-trap  generally,  have  a  means  of  indulging  their  genius,, 
wtthout  being  exposed  to  the  danger  of  seduction. 

Let  us  here  attempt  to  define  what  is  to  be  understood  by 
a  Catholic  society.  A  Catholic  society  is  an  association  of 
men  professing  the  Catholic  faith,  subject  to  the  control  of 
ofiScers  duly  elected,  or  appointed,  acknowledging  the 
authority  and  guided  by  the  just  counsels  of  the  pastor, 
within  whose  jurisdiction  the  society  is  established  and  the 
members  reside. 

Here  also,  it  may  be  proper  to  call  attention  to  the  dis- 
tinction between  a  Catholic  society  and  a  society  of  Catholics, 
The  right  of  individual  Catholics  to  organize,  for  a  specific 
and  lawful  purpose,  cannot  be  questioned,  nor  is  there  any 
need  that  such  an  organization  should  make,  as  a  society,  a 
formal  acknowledgment  of  its  allegiance  to  the  Church 
It  may  be  simply  a  civil  institution,  each  member  thereof 
fulfilling  the  duties  and  obligations  of  his  religion,  as 
an  individual,  without  relation  to  his  connection  with  the 
society. 

But  while  we  maintain  that  Catholics  have  the  right  to 
organize  civil  societies  for  one  good  purpose  or  another,  we 
are  not  ignorant  of  the  fact  that  such  may  easily  become,  in 
t.he  hands  of   a  few  designing  men,  powerful  engines   for 


ALETIIAURIOX.  491 

mischief.  Thoy  have  not  the  indcfcctibility  and  infallibility 
that  belongs  to  the  Church  ;  hence,  such  organizations  may 
err  in  their  aims,  or  may,  in  course  of  time,  cease  to  be 
what  they  were  originally.  The  pool  that  receives  not  from 
time  to  time,  a  fresh  su[)|)ly  from  the  fountain,  is  apt  to 
corrupt  ;  and  a  society  of  Catholics,  even  without  the  secrecy,, 
may  easily  become,  to  all  intents  and  purposes,  a  secret 
society.  Yet,  lot  no  one  attempt  to  make  the  way  narrower 
than  ChrIvST  made  it.  He  that  would  curtail  liberty  may  do 
to  keep  a  jail,  but  is  not  fit  to  lead  men  to  what  is  noble, 
grand  and  glorious. 

In  our  next  we  return  to  St.  Paul. 


CHAPTER  CXV. 


ST.  PAUL  IS  TAKEN  TO  C.ESAREA,  AND  THENCE  TO  ROME. 

After  his  narrow  escape  from  Jewish  treachery  in  Jerusa- 
lem, Paul  was  taken  to  Csesarea  to  be  judged  by  Governor 
Felix.  Felix,  like  most  of  the  underlings  of  that  day, 
and  in  fact,  like  the  majority  of  State  officials  in  every  age 
and  country,  had  that  cringing  regard  for  Cesar,  usually 
termed  loyalty,  which  then,  as  now,  meant  little  more  than 
a  love  of  office  and  of  the  emoluments  appertaining  there- 
unto. He  did  not  neglect  to  give  the  Apostle  a  speedy  trial,v 
but,  though  finding  nothing  in  him  worthy  of  punishment, 
yet  he  did  not  suffer  him  to  regain  his  freedom,  and  on 
one  pretext  or  another  kept  him  prison. 

Fellx,  no  doubt,  often  had  his  palm  greased  by  litigants 
before  his  tribunal,  and  that  a  leading  man  like  Paul  should 
be  taken  out  of  prison  by  the  multitudes  who  loved  and 
admired  him,  on  paying  a  round  sum,  appeared  to  His 
Excellency  as  largely  within  the  bounds  of  probability. 
But  he  was  mistaken.  Our  ancestors,  in  the  faith  of  those? 
primitive  and  palmy  days,  took  no  bribes  and  gave  none. 


492  ALETHAURION. 

Paul  was  not  slow  in  divining  the  real  motives  that  influ- 
enced his  jailer.  Hence,  one  day  when  Felix  came  with 
Drusilla,  his  wife,  who  was  a  Jewess,  upon  the  pretence 
of  hearing  the  faith  which  is  in  Christ,  the  Apostle  treated 
in  a  special  manner,  of  justice,  of  chastity  and  of  the  judg- 
ment to  come.  We  are  informed  the  Governor  did  not  relish 
such  a  discourse  any  to  well,  being  terrified  by  the  earnest- 
ness and  eloquence  of  the  great  Apostle.  But  on  account 
of  his  wife  he  tried  to  bluff  his  way  out  of  the  confusion 
plainly  visible  in  his  countenance.  So,  with  an  air  of  great 
importance  and  authority,  he  said  to  Paul,  *'  You  may  go 
now,  but  at  a  convenient  time  I  will  send  for  you." 

Seutoxius,  in  Claudius,  section  twenty-eight,  informs  us 
that  the  Felix  here  spoken  of  had,  in  all,  three  wives  or 
queens  ;  and  it  is  moreover  evident,  from  Josephus,  Antiq. 
XX,  7-2,  that  Drusilla  was  not  his  lawful  wife,  but  a  woman 
whom  Simon  Magus  had  persuaded  to  leave  her  own  hus- 
band, who  was  king  of  Emesa,  and  a  proselyte,  in  order  to 
cohabit  with  Felix,  an  idolator. 

These  facts  being  known,  we  readily  comprehend  why  he 
was  so  terrified  at  hearing  the  Apostle's  discourse  concern- 
ing chastity  and  the  judgment  to  come  ;  and  we  may  also 
easily  guess  the  reasons  that  moved  Paul  to  choose  those 
su))jects  on  the  occasion.  For  he  never  missed  an  opportu- 
nity to  humble  and  confound  the  insolent  and  unjust,  whilst 
he  infused  a  spirit  of  manly  dignity  into  the  hearts  of  all 
who  loved  the  truth. 

Tacitus,  speaking  of  this  same  Felix,  says  : 
"  He  exercised  the  authority  of  a  king  with  the  disposition  of  a  slave, 
and  relyin«:  upon  the  great  power  of  his  hrother  Pallas  at  court,  thought 
that  he  might  safely  be  guilty  of  all  kinds  of  wickedness." 

Many,  if  not  all  the  Roman  governors  of  provinces,  at 
this  period,  were  but  mere  creatures,  brought  to  the  surface 
by  force  of  meanness  and  time  serving.  Such  men  never 
know  how  to  use  authority  with  propriety  for  their  instincts 


ALETHAURION.  49$ 

being  of  a  low,  slavish  nature,  they  combat  magnauimity 
instead  of  encouraging  it  in  others. 

Indeed,  we  may  lay  it  down  as  a  general  principle,  that 
they  who  gain  position  by  humoring  the  follies  and  vices  of 
one  man  are  rarely  fit  to  govern  many. 

The  providence  of  God  is  certainly  mysterious,  but  in 
nothing  more  so  than  in  permitting  a  base  wretch,  with  the 
demeanor  of  a  favorite  lackey,  like  Felix,  to  exercise  au- 
thority over  such  men  as  St.  Paul.  After  two  years  of 
injustice  and  petty  tyrany,  Felix  w^as  called  to  Rome  to 
answer  for  his  crimes. 

His  neck  was  in  danger,  and  it  would  have  cracked  had 
not  his  brother  Pallas,  another  black  Cherub,  obtained  his 
pardon  through  personal  influence  with  Nero. 

Fortius  Festus  succeeded  him,  who  also  left  Paul  still  a 
prisoner  ;  for  he  wished  to  gratify  the  Jews.  In  meantime 
the  chief  priest  and  principal  men  of  the  city  had  formed  a 
new  plot — to  have  Paul  taken  back  from  Cresarea  to  Jerusa- 
lem, so  their  hired  assassins,  in  which  the  country  .then 
abounded,  might  murder  him  on  the  way. 

As  the  Apostle  had  but  little  confidence  in  the  firmness  of 

Festus,    and  knowing,   moreover,  that   he   sought  to  gain 

favor   with  the  Jews,  he   did  not-  hesitate  to  take  the   last 

step  by  appealing  at  once  to  Caesar  : 

"  I  stand  at  Cesar's  tribunal,"  said  he  "  for  if  I  have  injured  them,  or 
have  committed  an3'thing  that  deserveth  death,  I  refuse  not  to  die,  but  if 
there  be  nothing  of  these  things  whereof  they  accuse  me,  no  man  can 
deliver  me  to  them.    I  appeal  to  Caesar. 

While  Festus  was  awaiting  a  favorable  opportunity  to 
send  Paul  to  Rome,  he  received  a  complimentary  visit 
from  his  fiiend.  King  Agrippa.  He  also  wished  to  see  and 
hear  the  Apostle. 

But  though  a  man  of  fine,  natural  abilities,  and  a  bdiever 
in  the  prophets,  Agrippa  did  not  embrace  Christianity  ;  for 
the  fog  of  worldly  pleasure,  prevented  the  light  of  the  gos- 
pel from   shining  upon   his  soul  in  its  full  splendor.     He 


494  ALETHAURION. 

remjiined  in  unbelief,  satisfied  with  the  praises  of  men,  and 
careless  al)out  the  great  hereafter. 

The  incidents  in  Paul's  voyage  to  Kome  are  given  in  the 
last  two  chapters  of  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles.  We  shall 
shall  take  notice  of  only  one  of  them. 

It  is  related  that  after  shipwreck,  while  in  the  island  of 
Malta,  he  was  bitten  by  a  viper,  but  having  suffered  no 
harm,  the  people  took  him  for  a  god.  That  the  viper's 
poison  should  have  lost  its  deadly  force  on  the  Apostle 
does  not  excite  our  wonder,  considering  the  many  miracu- 
lous interpositions  of  Providence  in  those  days. 

But  there  is  another  circumstance  in  connection  there- 
with, which  may  not  be  known  to  all.  There  are  vipers, 
and  many  of  them,  to  this  day  in  Malta,  yet  strange  to  say, 
they  are  no  longer  venemous.  And  the  natives  have  a 
tradition  to  the  effect,  that  ever  since  St.  Paul  was  bitten, 
the  vipers  on  the  island  have  ceased  to  be  poisonous. 

The  absence  of  snakes  and  other  venemous  reptiles  in 
Ireland  is  an  almost  parallel  case.  An  ancient  and  univer- 
sal tradition  throughout  the  island  ascribes  their  banishment 
to  St.  Patrick.  And  we  see  nothing  absurd  in  admitting 
such  as  true. 

Scientific  men  have  found  nothing  in  the  soil  or  climate 
of  Ireland  different  from  those  of  England  or  Scotland,  and 
yet  serpents  abound  in  both  the  latter,  and  not  in  the  for- 
mer country. 

In  our  next  we  will  finish  the  life  of  St.  Paul. 


CHAPTER  CXVI. 


ST.  PAUL  ENTERS  ROME — HIS  DEATH.      • 

Leaving  Malta,  Paul  was  brought  to  the  city  of  the 
C^SARS,  there  to  finish  his  ministerial  life  on  earth,  and 
seal  with  his  blood  the  truth  of  all  he  had  taught  the 
nations. 


ALETIIAURION.  495 

As  the  chai'Ofes  againj^t  liiin  were  not,  according  to  Roman 
law,  of  serious  consequence,  he  was  permitted  to  occupy 
his  own  hired  lodgings,  with  one  soldier  as  a  guard.  St. 
Luke  tells  us  that  he  remained  two  whole  years  in  the 
4iforesaid  quarters. 

Many  Jews,  residents  of  the  city,  called  upon  him,  to 
whom  he  preached  the  new  order  of  things  ;^  to  some  with 
success,  w^iilst  the  majority  remained  obstinate. 

Let  the  reader  here  recollect  that  up  to  the  time  of  which 
we  are  speaking,  viz :  A.  D.  61,  the  followers  of  Christ 
experienced  the  utmost  toleration  at  the  hands  of  the  civil 
authorities.  Indeed  it  is  said,  that  the  Emperor  Tiberius 
desired  to  place  the  statue  of  our  Saviour  in  the  Capitol, 
among  the  gods  of  Rome.  He  was  lil)eral  enough  in  his 
views. 

But  the  Senate,  moved  by  a  higher  power  that  wills  not 
that  truth  and  falsehood  be  blended,  refused  to  accede  to 
his  wishes.  It  was  the  obstinate  Jews  that  first  pointed  out 
to  the  Roman  magistrates  the  difference  between  themselves 
and  the  early  followers  of  Christ. 

Judaism,  being  tbe  religion  of  the  people  that  formed  a 
part  of  the  Empire,  was  tolerated  at  Rome  ;  but  Christianity 
had  no  such  backing.  And,  as  said  above,  were  it  not  for 
Jewish  malice,  the  civil  authorities  would  have  remained  for 
years  ignorant  of  any  distinction  between  those  w^ho 
observed  the  law  of  Moses  and  those  who  believed  in 
Christ. 

Cesar  is  not  excusable  for  his  persecution  of  the  Church. 
But,  in  extenuation  of  his  crime,  it  may  be  said  that  it  was 
the  Jew  who  first  put  him  up  to  it. 

*  With  the  liberation  of  St.  Paul  from  prison  ends  the 
narrative  of  St.  Luke,  as  found  in  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles. 
The  few  remaining  incidents  in  his  life  have  been  handed 
down  by  tradition. 

It  is  said  that  during  his  stay  in  the  city,  and  before  the 
persecution  under  Nero  had   broken   out,  he   wrote   some 


4  9  G  AT.ETHAURION . 

letters  to  the  Pagan  philosopher  Sexeca,  and  received 
others  from  him  in  return.  Of  these  epistles,  and  of 
Seneca  himself,  St.  Jerome,  in  his  catalogue  of  Ecclesias- 
tical writers,  speaks  in  the  following  words  : 

"Lucius  Ann.eus  Seneca,  of  Cordova,  the  disciple  of  Socion  the 
Stoic,  and  uncle  of  the  poet  Luc  an,  was  a  man  of  the  greatest  continency, 
whom  I  would  not  put  in  the  catalogue  of  Saints,  if  those  epistles  read  by 
many,  of  Paul  to  Seneca  and  of  Seneca  to  Paul  had  not  moved  me 
thereunto.  In  which  epistles  Seneca  says  that  he  could  wish  to  hold 
the  same  place  among  his  own  people  that  Paul  does  among  the 
Christians."" 

St.  Augustxe  also,  in  his  54th  epistle,  which  is  to  Mace- 
DONius,  alludes  to  letters  passed  between  our  Apostle  and 
the  philosopher  in  question. 

It  is  most  probable,  however,  that  the  genuine  letters 
have  been  lost,  for  those  given  by  Sixtus  Sexexsis,  lib.  II. 
Biblioth,  Sane,  are  generally  regarded  by  the  learned  as 
spurious.     Consult  Baronius,  Tome  I,  Annals  A.  D.  60. 

From  the  time  of  Paul's  egress  out  of  prison  to  that  of 
his  death,  A.  D.  69,  we  have  a  period  of  eight  years,  and  one 
would  naturally  inquire  whether  he  spent  it  all  in  evange- 
lizing the  Eternal  City.  In  reply,  it  may  be  said,  that,  we 
have  no  means  of  determining  wnth  certainty  whether  he 
stayed  in  the  city  or  went  elsewhere  to  preach  the  gospel.    ' 

His  well  known  restless  disposition  and  zeal  in  diffusing 
the  truths  of  the  faith  would  lead  us  to  believe  that  he  could 
not  remain  so  long  a  time  in  one  place — even  though  it  had 
then  some  millions  to  be  converted. 

Indeed,  while  he  was  yet  at  Corinth,  preparing  to  go  to 

Jerusalem  w^ith   the   charitable   contributions   collected   in 

Achaia  and  Macedonia,  he  wrote  to   the   Romans,  warning 

them  of  his  intention  to  visit  their  city,  and  from  there   to 

pass  into  Spain. 

"When  I  shall  begin,"  says  he,  "  to  take  my  journey  into  Spain,  I  hope 
that  as  I  pass,  I  shall  see  you.  and  be  brought  on  my  way  thither  by  you, 
if  first,  in  part,  I  shall  have  enjoyed  you."    Romans  xv,  24. 


ALETHAURION.  497 

•i 

His  arrest  at  Jerusalem,  and  subsequent  imprisonment  for 

four  years   made    it  impossible  for  him  to  accomplish   his 

design  of  visiting  Spain  as  soon  as  he  otherwise  would   have 

done.     But  that  he  afterwards  did  so,  we   are   assured    by 

many  of  the  ancient  Fathers.  Cyril,  of  Jerusalem,  Catech., 

17,  speaking  of  our  Apostle,  says  : 

'*  From  Jerusalem  even  to  Illyriciiin  did  he  disseminate  the  f^ospel, 
who  also  taught  regal  Rome,  and  extended  the  alaeiity  of  his  preaching 
as  far  as  Spain." 

St.  Johx  CnRYSOSTOM,  Homily  76,  in  Matt.,  says: 

*'  Wlien  therefore  he  had  passed  two  years  in  Rome,  he  was  at  length 
permitted  to  regain  his  freedom,  then  he  went  into  Spain  .  .  .  and  then, 
perhaps,  returned  to  Rome,  when  he  was  put  to  death  at  the  command  of 
Nero.*' 

Many  others  also  testify  to  the  same  fact ;  but  let  those 
we  have  given  suffice. 

Some  time  after  these  events  the  Emperor  Nero,  who  had 
taken  a  fancy  to  fluting  and  poetry,  conceived  the  design  of 
setting  Rome  on  fire,  in  order  that  he  might  have  the  pleasure 
of  witnessing  a  conflagration  similar  to  that  of  Troy.  His 
minions  accordingly  applied  their  torches  ;  whilst  Nero, 
seated  on  an  eminence,  with  his  flute,  enjoyed  the  blaze. 

But,  as  the  firing  of  Rome  was  something  that  even  an 
emperor  could  not  be  guilty  of,  with  impunity,  Nero  rightly 
judged  that  it  was  none  too  soon  to  divert  attention  from 
him.'^elf,  and  lay  the  blame  on  some  one  else. 

The  Christians  were  charged  with  the  crime,  and  a  perse- 
cution inaugurated  to  blot  them  out.  Peter  and  Paul, 
along  with  scores  of  others,  were  seized  and  cast  into  prison. 
Of  the  former  we  have  already  spoken,  and  the  story  of  the 
latter  we  shall  now  finish  in  a  few  words. 

There  is  a  place  in  the  Roman  campagna,  alongside  the 
road  to  Ostia,  called  the  Three  Fountains,  to  which  the  finger 
of  tradition  points  as  the  spot  where  Paul  fought  his  last 
battle. 


498  ALETHAURION. 

The  writer  had  the  pleasure  of  a  visit  to  it  on  the  25th  of 

February,  1868,  and  what   follows  is  taken  verbatim    from 

his  note  book  : 

"  To-day  at  half-past  eight,  a.  m.,  TA-ent  out  to  see  the  Church  of  the 
Three  Fountains,  where  St.  Paul  was  martyred.  This  Church  is  on  tlie 
Ostian  way,  some  three  or  four  miles,  English  measure,  beyond  the 
Ostian  Basilica.  There  are,  properly  speaking,  three  Churches.  One 
built  in  the  Basilican  style ;  the  other  two,  circular.  In  one  of  the  latter 
is  a  place  that  contained,  or  still  contains,  the  relics  of  ten  thousand 
martyrs.  The  other  is  built  over  the  spot  where  St.  Paul  laid  down  his 
life  for  his  faith.  In  this  there  are  three  fountains.  Tradition  says  that 
when  Paul's  head  was  severed  from  his  body  it  made  three  leaps,  and, 
wherever  it  struck  the  earth,  a  fountain  of  water  sprang  up.  The  foun- 
tains in  question  are  about  four  paces  apart,  and  in  a  straight  line.  They 
are  now  surrounded  by  masonrj',  and  the  head  of  St.  Paul  is  represented 
over  each  one  in  marble.  Some  persons  claim  they  can  distinguish  a 
difference  in  the  taste  of  the  m  aters ;  there  may  be,  but  I  failed  to  notice 
it.  However,  it  seemed  to  me  that  the  water  from  one  of  the  fountains 
was  warmer  than  that  of  the  others.  These  three  Churches  seem  much 
neglected,  and,  in  fact,  one  could  scarcely  expect  it  to  be  otherwise, 
because  they  are  far  removed  from  the  city,  in  the  dreary  solitute  of  the 
Campagna.  Things  will  soon  mend,  for  the  Holy  Father  has  concluded 
to  bring  a  colony  of  Trappists  to  cultivate  the  ground  and  keep  them  in 
repair.  There  are  present,  already,  some  three  or  four  of  these  monks — 
all  Germans,  dressed  in  brown  habits  and  wearing  heavy  wooden  shoes. 
But  in  a  few  days  the  real  colony  is  expected  to  arrive  from  France." 

In   our   next   we  will  give  a  synopsis  of  what  the  other 

Apostles  did,  and  how  they  died. 


CHAPTER  CXVII. 


SYNOPTICAL  VIEW  OF  THE  LIVES  AND  LABORS  OF  THE 
APOSTLES. 

Simon  Peter,  prince  of  the  Apostles,  born  in  the  province 
of  Galilee,  was  in  early  life  a  fisherman.  Called  to  be  an 
Apostle,  he  received  from  the  Saviour  a  primacy  not  only 
of  honor,  but  also  of  jurisdiction  over  the  Universal 
Church. 


ALETIL\UrjON.  499 

He  labored  in  JeriiJ;aleiii  and  amongst  the  Jews  who  were 
disper:scd  through  the  regions  of  Pontus,  Galatia,  Bithynia, 
Cappadocia  and  Asia.  Founded  the  See  of  Antioch,Euseb. 
iii,  1,  and  finally  went  to  Rome,  which  he  made  the  center 
of  Catholic  unity,  by  fixing  his  chair  permanently  therein. 
Was  put  to  death  for  the  faith,  by  order  of  Neko,  «Iune  29, 
A.  D.  69. 

Paul  was  born  at  Tarsus,  in  Cilicia,  persecuted  the  Church 
at  first,  but,  after  conversion,  became  the  most  active  of  all 
the  Apostles.  He  was  beheaded  for  the  faith  in  Rome,  June 
29,  A.  D.  69.  St.  Gregory  of  Nyssa,  Orat  viii,  de  Beatitu- 
dine,  says,  incorrectly,  that  he  was  crucified. 

Andrew,  the  brother  of  Simox  Peter,  is  said  to  have 
first  preached  to  the  Scythians,  Sogdians,  and  to  other  tribes 
north  of  the  Black  Sea.  Later  on,  he  entered  Greece,  and 
Avas  crucified  at  Patrie,  in  Achaia. 

The  cross  on  which  he  suffered  is  still  preserved  in  the 
monastery  of  St.  Victor,  at  Marseilles  ;  but  its  shape  is 
the  same  as  that  of  the  Saviour.     Andrew  wrote  nothing. 

The  acts  of  his  martydom,  said  to  have  been  composed 
by  the  priests  of  Achaia,  are  a  bone  of  contention  amongst 
the  learned.  The  most  probable  opinion  is,  they  are  not 
authentic. 

James  the  Greater,  son  of  Zebedee,  and  brother  of  St. 
John  the  Evangelist,  was  one  of  those  who  witnessed  the 
transfiguration  on  Mount  Tabor.*  He  was  beheaded  for  the 
faith,  by  order  of  Herod  Agrippa,  A.  D.  44. 

It  is  uncertain  whether  he  ever  passed  as  an  Evangelist, 
beyond  the  confines  of  Judea.  The  Spaniards  maintain  that 
he  first  introduced  the  gospel  into  their  country.  But  their 
claims  to  the  honor  are  not  generally  allowed. 

John  the  Evangelist,  son  of  Zebedee,  lived  the  longest 
of  any  of  the  Apostles.  The  ancient  Fathers  Euseb  iii,  31, 
tell  us  that  he  died  at  Ephesus,  about  the  year  104  of  our 
•era. 


500  '  ALETHAURION. 

Tertullian,  in  his  work,  De  proescrip.  hoereticoriim^  chap. 
36,  relates,  that,  during  the  persecution  of  Domitiax,  he 
was  brought  to  Rome  and  thrown  into  a  caldron  of  boiling 
oil,  from  which  he  came  forth  unharmed,  and  even  more 
vigorous.  The  spot  where  this  took  place  is  still  pointed 
out,  not  far  from  the  Latin  gate. 

Peter,  bishop  of  Alexandria,  informs  us  that  his  gospel, 
in  John's  own  handwriting,  (^0  ^(Z^oc7^^>o?^,)  was  preserved 
at  Ephesus  up  to  the  sixth  century.  See  Chron.,  Alex.,  by 
Eader. 

It  is  stated  in  the  revelations  of  both  St.  Bridget  and  of 
St.  Gertrude,  that  St.  John's  body  has  already  anticipated 
the  glory  of  the  general  resurrection.  But  the  student  of 
history  and  theology  must  take  those  special  revelations  with 
caution.  Women  are  naturally  imaginative,  and  a  vivid 
dream  may  sometimes  be  taken  by  them  for  a  vision  from 
on  high. 

Philip  preached  the  gospel  of  the  Kingdom,  first  in 
Scythia,  and  then  in  Phrygia,  where  he  died  in  the  city  of 
Hierapolis,  A.  D.  54.  It  is  uncertain  whether  he  suffered 
martyrdom. 

EusEBius,  in  Chron.,  says  : 

**This  same  year,  the  fourth  of  the  107th  Olympiad,  Philip,  the 
apostle  of  Christ,  whilst  preaching  the  gospel  to  the  people  of  Hierapo- 
lis, a  city  of  Asia,  was  fastened  to  across  and  overpowered  with  stones.'' 

This  testimony  appears  clear  enough.  But  it  is  wanting 
in  some  very  important  manuscript  codes,  and  hence  the 
doubt  regarding  its  genuinity. 

Bartholemew  first  preached  the  gospel  in  Armenia,  and 
then  in  India,  whither  he  also  took  with  him  the  gospel  of 
St.  Mattiieav,  in  Syro-Ccaldaic.  Pantcenus,  a  christain 
philosopher,  came  across  it  there  a  hundred  years  later,  as 
Eusebius  v,  10,  testifies. 

Pie  is  said  to  have  been  skinned  alive,  and  afterwards 
beheaded  at  Albanopolis,  a  city  of  Armenia.  Others  say 
that,  after  being  cruelly  scourged  and  nailed  to  a  cross,  he 


ALETHAURION.  501 


finished  his  days  and  gained  the  crown  at  an  extreme  old  age, 
in  Urbanopolis,  also  in  Armenia. 

Matthew,  first  a  tax  collector,  and  afterwards  called  to 
the  apostolate,  preached  the  gospel  in  Ethiopia,  now  called 
Abyssinia.  Socrates  iii,  19.  He  is  said  to  have  died  among 
the  Parthians,  to  whom  he  also  preached.  Ancient  authors 
do  not  agree  respecting  the  manner  of  his  death. 

Clement  of  Alexandria,  Strom,  iv,  affirms  that  he  did  not 
suffer  martydom,  but  died  in  peace. 

Nicephorus,  ii,  41,  states  that  his  persecutors  having 
kindled  a  fire  around  him,  he  extinguished  it  by  his  prayers, 
and  at  length  yielded  up  his  soul  in  peace.  Latin  authors 
generally  hold  that  he  died  a  martyr. 

The  Apostle  Thomas,  was  the  first  to  confess  clearly  and 

distinctly,   the  divinity   of    the   Saviour.      John  xx,    28. 

Thouo^h  slow  to  believe   what  had  been  related  concerninor 

the  resurrection,  yet,  in  the  words  of   St.   Gregory    the 

Great : 

"We  are  more  assured  in  our  faith  by  the  doubt  of  St.  Thomas  than 
b}'  tlie  ready  belief  of  the  otlier  Apostles.''    Horn.  26,  in  Evang. 

From  Eusebius,  iii,  1,  we  learn  that  our  Apostle  labored 
amongst  the  Parthians.  By  Parthia  may  be  understood 
also  Persia,  and  those  regions  bordering  on  India. 

A  tradition  of  the  third  and  fourth  centuries  informs  us 
that  he  was  buried  at  Edessa,  a  city  of  Mesopotamia.  But, 
by  a  more  recent  one,  we  are  assured  that  he  suffered  marty- 
dom in  the  city  of  Calamina,  in  India. 

When  the  Portuguese  came  to  Malabar,  about  the  year 
1500  A.  D.,  they  found  native  believers  who  called  them- 
selves Christians  of  St.  Tho^lvs  ;  and  when  it  became  known 
that  those  people  differed  in  belief  somewhat  from  the 
Roman  Church,  the  French  Huguenot,  La  Croze,  set  to 
work  to  prove  that  the  Christians  of  St.  Thomas  were  genu- 
ine Protestants. 

But  his  book  entitled,  **The  History  of  Christianity  in 
the  Indies,**  was  so  thoroughly  riddled  by  Rexaudot,  Le 


502  ALETHAURION. 

Brun  and  Assemaxi,  that  no  Protestant  now  pretends  to 
claim  kinship  any  longer  with  the  native  Christians  of 
Malabar. 

The  best  theory  we  have  seen  on  this  subject  is,  that  those 
people,  or  rather  their  ancestors,  were  originally  converted 
from  Paganism  by  St.  Thomas,  but  were  drawn  about  the 
fifth  century,  into  the  Nestorian  heresy,  with  which  they 
were  found  tainted  at  the  time  of  discovery  by  the  Portu- 
guese. 

It  has  also  been  handed  down  that  St.  Thomas  converted 
those  three  Magi,  who  adored  our  Lord  in  his  infancy, 
and  that  he  ordained  them  as  coadjutors  in  the  Evangelical 
field. 

James,  the  son  of  Alpeus,  surnamed  the  Lesser,  became 
first  bishop  of  Jerusalem,  and  was  martyred  by  the  Jews, 
having  been  precipitated  from  the  top  of  the  temple.  Euse- 
bius,  ii,  23. 

Simon  Chaxaneus  is  said  to  have  preached  the  gospel  in 
Mesopotamia,  and  also  in  Egypt.  In  fact,  little  or  nothing 
is  known  with  certainty,  regarding  his  labors  or  death. 

Of  JuDE,  called  alsoTHADDEUS,  and  of  Mathias  who  took 
the  place  of  Judas  Iscakiot,  we  may  repeat  what  has  been 
said  of  Simon  Chananeus  ;  little  is  known  about  them  that 
appears  to  rest  on  a  solid  basis.  The  former  is  said  to  have 
preached  in  Lybia,  Mesopotamia,  Arabia  and  Idumoea ;  the 
latter  in  Judea  and  Ethiopia. 

There  may  be  uncertainty  in  some  cases  regarding  the 
particular  countries  in  which  the  Apostles  labored  ;  one  thing 
is  clear — they  labored  well. 

In  our  next  we  take  up  the  gifts  of  the  Church. 


ALETHAURION.  50^ 

CHAPTER  CXVm. 


THE   PREROGATIVES  OF  THE   CHURCH — INDEFECTIBILITY. 

The  Church  of  Christ  has  three  prerogatives,  granted  by 
its  divine  founder.  They  are  indcfectibility  in  existing, 
infallibility  in  teaching,  and  authority  in  ruling. 

By  the  indefectilMlity  of  the  Church  we  mean  that  it  will 
retain,  until  the  end  of  time,  the  same  nature  and  proper- 
ties, as  well  internal  as  external,  that  it  had  on  the  first  day 
of  its  existence — that  it  can  not  change  in  essentials.  This 
indcfectibility  of  the  Church  differs  from  visibility,  which 
effects  only  its  external  part.  A  Church  may  be  conceived 
as  visible  without  being  indefectible,  as  for  example,  any 
one  of  the  various  sectarian  conventicles. 

So,  also,  indcfectibility  differs  from  infallibility,  for  the 
latter  is  a  term  used  only  in  connection  with  its  office  as 
teacher.  A  Church  may  be  conceived  as  infallible  in  its 
general  councils  for  one  or  two  generations,  or  even  cen- 
turies, and  yet  not  be  indefectible. 

Anglicans  generally  maintain  that  the  Church  taught  the 
truth  for  the  first  five  or  six  centuries,  and  then,  little  by 
little,  fell  away. 

In  other  words,  they  deny  the  indcfectibility  of  the  Church, 
whilst  admitting  its  infallibility  in  council  assembled  ;  at 
least  for  the  period  mentioned.  Indcfectibility  differs  also 
from  perpetuity,  for  by  the  latter  nothing  more  is  meant 
than  mere  duration.  The  indcfectibility  of  theChun-h  may 
be  likened  to  the  personal  identity  of  a  man,  with  this  dif- 
ference, that  the  retention  of  indentity  in  the  individual  does 
not  necessarily  imply  retention  of  truth  or  of  authority, 
whereas,  in  that  moral  person  we  call  the  Church  1t  does 
imply  both  the  one  and  the  other ;  and  the  admission  of  any 
one  prerogative  logically  leads  to  the  admission  of  the 
remaining  two. 


504  ALETHAURION. 

Let  us,  before  giving  the  proofs,  call  attention  to  the  im- 
portance of  the  'subject.  Those  that  have  left  the  Catholic 
Church  do  not  deny  that  it  goes  back,  as  an  organized 
society,  to  the  time  of  Christ  and  the  Apostles  ;  for  to  call 
that  in  doubt  would  be  the  act  of  an  ignorant  man.  The 
succession  of  the  popes,  from  Peter  to  Leo,  proves  it  to  a 
demonstration,  for  without  a  Church  there  would  have  been 
no  popes.  Hence,  dissenters  were  compelled  to  find  some 
pretext  to  justify  their  separation  from  us,  and  the  pretext 
was  this  :  That  the  Church  had  changed  ;  become  corrupt ; 
that  whilst  it,  indeed,  still  retained  external  or  material 
sameness,  it  had  lost  it  internally  and  formally  ;  that  it 
taught  error  for  truth,  and  consequently  lost  its  right  to 
command. 

Now,  if  it  can  be  shown  that  the  Church  of  Christ  can- 
not essentially  change,  either  externally  or  internally,  it  will 
be  perceived  that  the  prop  slips  from  the  pretext,  and  both 
tumble  together. 

There  is  another  error  in  the  popular  mind  that  prevents 
many  well  disposed  heretics  from  seeing  their  way  clearly  : 
It  is  the  idea  of  human  progress..  IMen  know  from  reading 
history,  and  also  from  personal  observation,  that  some 
advance  has  been  made  in  the  arts  and  sciences  within  the 
present  century.  They  see  the  ocean  now  traversed  by 
powerful  steamers  that  seem  to  bid  defiance  to  the  elements, 
whereas,  a  century  ago  seafaring  people  were,  to  a  great 
extent,  at  the  mercy  of  the  winds  and  waves.  They  see 
news  now  transmitted  from  city  to  city  with  the  speed  of 
lightning.  They  see  books  and  newspapers  multiplied  to  an 
almost  endless  extent,  by  the  art  of  printing  ;  whereas,  pre- 
vious to  the  middle  of  the  fifteenth  century,  the  transcrib- 
ing of  even  one  co[)y  of  the  Scriptures  was  a  lal)or  of  many 
months.  Seeing  such  things,  those  who  have  not  the  faith 
are  apt  to  think  and  say  :  As  we  make  progress  in  art  and 
science,  why  not  al&o  in  religion? 

We  once  listened  to  an  arij^ument  on   this  subject.     The 


ALETHAURION.  505 

"disputjints  were  two  old  farmers  who  had  come  to  town  on  a 
Saturday  afternoon,  to  refresh  the  inner  man,  get  the  mail, 
and  disburden  themselves  of  their  stock  of  political  and 
theoloirical  smartness.  Being  mudsills  and  antiquated,  their 
illustrations  were  homespun  and  rural,  like  themselves — 
taken  principally  from  the  corn-field,  the  blacksmithshop, 
and  the  stock-yard.  But,  though  not  classical,  they  had 
the  merit  of  being  expressive.  The  advocate  of  progress  in 
religion  came  out  triumphant.  He  overwhelmed  his  oppon- 
ent with  a  shower  of  modern  instances.     Finally,  said  he  : 

*' See  how  mu«3h  better  plows  and  reapers  we  have  now;  how  much 
finer  horses  and  cattle;  how  much  better  houses  to  live  in.  than  when  you 
and  I  were  lads!  All  this  is  owing  to  progress,  sir;  to  education,  sir! 
And  why  can't  we  make  some  advance  also  in  the  study  of  the  Bible,  and 
in  religion  as  well,  sir?" 

One  of  the  bystanders  was  going  to  tie  on  the  blue  ribbon, 
but  another  in  the  crowd  said  no  ;  that  his  nose  was  blue 
enough  to  make  him  conspicuous  in  any  assembly  in 
America. 

This  argument,  to  one  outside  the  true  church,  is  both 
captious  and  plausible  ;  and,  if  we  look  well  into  the  idea 
expressed  by  the  farmer  in  his  own  crude  way,  it  will  be 
found  to  have  had  not  a  little  to  do  with  the  rise  and  pro- 
gress of  many  of  the  sects.  To  a  Catholic  who  believes  in 
a  living,  teaching,  indefectible,  infallible  Church,  there  can 
of  course,  be  no  difficulty  ;  but  to  the  Protestant  mind,  there 
is  here  a  powerful  stimulus  to  everlasting  change. 

With  all  the  sects  it  passes  for  a  fundamental  principle, 
that  the  truths  of  religion  are  to  be  learned  from  the  Bible 
alone  ;  that  there  is  no  infallible  authority  on  earth  to  define 
its  meaning  in  case  of  a  controversy  ;  and  that  infallil)ility 
ceased  in  the  Church  with  the  death  of  the  last  Apostle. 

Moreover,  he  has  been  taught  that  for  some  ages  b.efore 
the  time  of  Lutiieh,  the  ignorance  and  moral  darkness  was 
such  that  the  religion  of  Chkist  had  practically  ceased  to 
exist  amongst  men,  and  was  to  be  found, pure  and  uudefiled, 
in  the  Bible  only. 


506  ALETHAURION.  • 

What  is  then  more  natural  than  for  a  Protestant  to  say  to 
himself  :  **  The  more  modern  the  sect  the  more  likely  it  has 
truth  on  its  side  ;  for  it  has  the  .wisdom  and  experience  of 
all  that  went  before,  and  its  own.  Hence  it  is  more  likely 
that  men  are  now  nearer  the  true  meaning  of  Scripture  than 
they  who  lived  three  hundred  years  ago  ;  for  they  had  not 
our  advantages  in  education  and  enlightenment ;  and  those 
living  a  hundred  years  hence,  will  be  able  to  come  still 
closer  to  the  truth,  for  they  will  have  advantages  of  which 
we  cannot  boast." 

Now,  as  said  above,  to  the  Catholic,  who  has  learned  even 
the  first  principles  of  his  faith,  the  same  difficulty  does  not 
present  itself.  He  believes  that  our  Lord  established  on 
earth  a  living,  teaching,  infallible  authority.  He  believes 
that  the  authority  in  question  has,  from  the  day  of  Pente- 
cost, taught  all  that  Christ  did,  and  will  continue  to  do  so 
until  the  day  of  judgment. 

For  a  Catholic,  there  is  no  such  a  phrase  as  near,  nearer, 
nearest  to  the  truth.  He  makes  no  progress  in  belief.  It 
is  the  same  yesterday,  to-day  and  forever. 

But  the  man  who  takes  the  Bible  alone  as  his  guide,  is 
obliged  either  to  say  that  he  is  himself  infallible  in  his 
understanding  of  what  is  in  it,  or  admit  the  progressive 
theory,  and  be  ready  to  change  his  belief  each  day  and  hour, 
according  as  he  becomes  more  or  less  learned  in  the  Scrip- 
ture. 

Let  us  take  another  illustration  of  human  progress,  and 
contrast  it  with  the  unchangeableness  of  the  Church. 

In  the  year  1807,  Egbert  Fulton  invented  the  steamboat, 
and  made  trial  of  his  work,  for  the  first  time,  on  the  Hud- 
son. It  was  a  rude  craft,  but  the  attempt  having  been  made,' 
and  with  success,  the  ingenuity  of  others  was  set  to  work,  in 
changing  and  perfecting  what  was  defective  ;  until  we  now 
have  the  mighty  Cunarder,  that  walks  the  Atlantic  with  the 
strides  of  a  giant. 

Here  we  have  an  example  of  progress  in  art.     We  have  a 


ALETHAUKION.  507 

change  certainly  for  the  better.  One  learns  by  observation 
of  even  his  own  work  ;  and  if  ho  does  not  another  may. 
But  is  it  so  in  the  work  of  God?  No.  God  makes  no  pro- 
gress in  knowledge. 

Hence,  when  He  calls  anything  into  existence  for  a  special 
purpose,  it  most  aptly  fulfills  its  end  from  the  beginning, 
and  cannot  be  remodeled  nor  improved. 

Suppose  He  should  have  revealed  to  some  man  in  Ful- 
ton's day,  the  plan  and  model  of  a  ship  that  would  be  the 
best  possible  for  one  hundred  years  ;  the  reader  will  readily 
see  that  progress  in  the  art  of  shipbuilding  would  be  at  an 
end,  until  the  one  hundred  years  had  passed,  unless  there 
arose,  in  the  meantime,  some  man  wiser  than  the  Omnis- 
cient. 

It  is  thus  with  the  Catholic  Church.  It  is  the  direct  crea- 
tion of  God,  for  the  specific  purpose  of  taking  men  to  the 
port  of  eternal  rest. 

No  man  can  improve  on  it ;  and  tnat  it  cannot  be  changed 
for  the  worse,  we  will  show,  by  direct  proofs,  in  a  future 
chapter. 


CHAPTER  CXIX. 


REASONS    GOING    TO    SHOW"    THAT    THE    CHURCH    OF   CHRIST   18 
INDEFECTIBLE. 

In  some  of  the  earlier  chapters  of  this  work,  we  proved 
that  the  Saviour  placed  certain  marks  on  his  Church,  by  aid 
of  which  any  one  in  search  of  the  true  fold,  may  easily 
identify  and  distinguish  it  from  any  and  all  the  dens  of  error. 
These  marks  are  Unity,  Holiness,  Universality  and  Apos- 
tolicity. 

Having  already  explained  their  import,  we  shall  not  re- 
peat, but  observe  that,  if  well  considered,  they  prove  the 
mdefectibility  of  the  Church. 

If  the  Church  of  Christ  could  become  a  conglomeration 


508  ALETHAURION. 

of  all  who  believe  in  His  name,  whether  Catholics  or  not ;  if 
it  could  teaoh  in  one  place  that  our  Lord  is  really  and  truly 
present  in  the  Sacrament  of  the  Eucharist,  and  in  another, 
that  it  is  a  matter  of  indifference  whether  such  a  doctrine  is 
believed  or  not,  then  the  mark  of  Unity  would  no  longer 
serve  as  a  means  by  which  to  identify  the  Church. 

Again  :  If  it  taught  false  doctrine  in  matters  appertain- 
ing to  faith  and  morals,  if  it  approved  what  God  condemns. 
Holiness  would  not  do  as  a  mark.  If  it  became  a  mere  local 
society,  confined  to  one  city  or  province,  teaching  only  a 
part  of  what  Christ  taught,  the  mark  of  Universality  would 
be  of  no  avail. 

We  do  not,  however,  wish  to  enter  here  into'that  specula- 
tive question  so  ably  discussed  by  Cardinal  Bellakmime. 
Lib.  iv.  De  notis  eccl.  cap.  vii,  viz:  That  the  Church 
of  Christ  might  be  confined,  materialiter ^  to  even  one  pro- 
vince, and  still  have  upon  it  the  mark  of  Universality. 
We  simply  observe  that  he  appears  to  us  to  have  proved  his 
point. 

But,  historically  speaking,  if  we  except  its  infancy,  it 
never  has  been  confined  to  one  province,  and  prophetically 
speaking,  we  believe  it  never  will. 

However  that  may  be,  it  is  yet  certain  that,  if  the  Church 
lost  both  ma^en'aZ  and /brmaZ  Catholicity,  Universality  would 
no  longer  serve  as  a  mark  by  which  to  find  it.  We  may 
repeat  the  same  of  Apostolicity. 

If  the  Church  taught  doctrines  different  from  those  of 
the  Apostles,  or  employed  ministers  not  regularly  ordained, 
it  is  evident  the  mark  of  Apostolicity  would  no  longer  serve 
its  purpose. 

We  may  now  illustrate  what  has  thus  far  been  said  by  an 
anecdote. 

Early  in  the  Autumn  of  1865,  the  writer  went  on  a  trip 
^ver  to  London,  and  from  there  to  some  few  noted  cities  on 
the  Continent.  On  the  way  across  the  Atlantic,  we  were 
-blest    with    good   wxather,  generally   speaking ;   and    our 


ALETIIAURION.  50^ 

captain,  a  thoroughbred  «Tohn  Bull,  with  leg-of-motton  whis- 
kers, thick  neck  and  red  face,  was  not  a  bad  sort  of  a  bloat, 
in  the  main. 

Amongst  the  passengers  was  a  middle-aged  lady,  from 
somewhere  out  in  the  Great  West,  whose  ideas  regarding 
ships  and  navigation  were  evidently  of  home  manufacture, 
and  correspondingly  crude.  She  had  her  three  girls  with 
her;  all  prudent,  well-conducted  gentle  women,  and  fair  as 
the  daughters  of  Job.  Two  of  her  boys  were  also  on  board  ; 
line  specimens  of  manhood,  each  fully  six  feet  high,  and 
fiddlers,  both  of  them. 

Passing  up  the  English  Channel,  we  came  to  the  town  of 
Deal,  beautifully  ensconced  in  trees,  and  fanned  by  wind- 
mills. At  this  point  the  renowned  Roman  captain,  Julius 
CAESAR,  is  said  to  have  first  effected  a  landing  in  Britain  ; 
and  the  place  retains  something  of  the  lustre  and  romance 
that  surrounds  his  great  name.  After  having  run  over,  in 
imagination,  some  of  the  events  of  his  life,  and  the  circum- 
stances of  his  untimely  exit,  we  Avere  awakened  from  our 
reverie  by  a  question  from  Madam  Prairielark  to  the 
captain.  **What  makes  the  waves  break  so,"  said  she,  **out 
here  to  the  right,  in  that  one  particular  spot,  and  nowhere 
else?" 

Ah,  madam,"  said  our  Palinurus  in  his  sweetest  and 
mildest  way,  **they  are  the  Goodwin  quicksands  and  are 
very  dangerous  for  us  sea-faring  people,  so  that  we  have  to 
keep  a  close  watch  when  passing  through  this  portion  of  the 
channel." 

**And  why  don't  they  put  a  mark  over  them,  so  as  to 
warn  people  of  their  danger?"  again  chimed  in  our  Great 
Western. 

**A  mark,  madam,"  said  the  captain,  ** would  be  of  po 
service  there,  for  those  sands,  not  unfreciuently,  shift  several 
rods  in  one  night,  and  a  buoy  anchored  to  one  spot,  would 
be  the   means  of  leading  mariners  into  what  might  be  a 


510  ALETHAURION. 

fatal  error,  instead  of  serving  as  a  warning  against  dan- 
ger/' 

Great  Western,  nothing  daunted  by  so  clear  a  statement 
of  the  case,  came  to  the  front  once  more,  wanting  to  know 
why  they  did  not  make  buoys  with  floating  anchors,  that 
would  move  according  as  the  sand  bank  shifted. 

The  idea  of  a  buoy  with  a  floating  anchor  was  too  much 
for  Captain  Pinkum's  gravity  ;  and  one  might  notice  the 
laugh  coming  up  from  his  toes  until  it  spread  all  his  face, 
and  finally  came  out  of  both  eyes  and  his  mouth,  in  a  mon- 
strous guffaw,  that  made  the  cables  vibrate.  A  giggle  of 
the  others  that  stood  around  followed  the  captain's  heroic 
effort. 

But  Great  Western,  after  declaring  that  she  could  not 
see  what  there  was  to  laugh  at,  walked  off  proudly  and  in 
high  dudgeon  to  her  state-room  ;  remarking  as  she  went, 
that  people  should  not  try  to  pass  them-selves  off  for  gen- 
tlemen, until  they  had  learned  their  manners,  and  that 
impoliteness  to.  a  lady  was  nothing  to  be  proud  of — in  her 
opinion. 

To  put  a  buoy,  anchored  or  otherwise,  over  the  Goodwin 
quicksands,  would  certainly  be  a  piece  of  folly  on  the  part 
of  a  man,  unless  he  first  invented  some  means  of  keeping 
them  permanently  in  one  place  ;  and  to  put  marks  on  the 
Church,  and  permit  it  to  drift  away  from  them  is  something 
that  never  can  be  reconciled  with  the  infinite  wisdom  and, 
love  of  the  Saviour. 

•  The  marks  then,  prove  the  indefectibility  of  the  Church, 
for  Christ  Himself  impressed  them,  and  on  that  account, 
He  is  in  a  manner  constrained  to  keep  the  Church  from 
drifting. 

Hence,  though  the  sects  may  need  buoys  with  floating 
anchors,  wo  Catliolics  surely  do  not. 

Our  Church  is  built  upon  a  rock  ;  and  though  the  winds 
may  blow  and  the  waves  may  dash  in  fury  against  it,  it  will 


ALETHAURION.  511 

remain  inini()val)le  forever.  Ho  that  commands  the  ele- 
ments and  holds  the  sea  in  the  hollow  of  His  hand,  has  said  : 

*«Thou  art  Petek,  and  upon  this  rock  I  will  build  my  Church;   and 

the  gates  of  hell  shall  not  prevail  n'jninst  it/''  Matt.  xvi.  18.  "  Behold,  I 
am  with  you  all  days,  even  to  the  consummation  of  the  world."  Matt, 
xxviii.  20. 

The  end  for  which  the  Church  was  established  would,  of 
itself,  all  the  circumstances  considered,  be  proof  sufficient 
of  its  indefectibility.  Christ  founded  and  built  the  Cath- 
olic Church  in  order,  through  it  to  teach  mankind,  not  alone 
for  one  or  two  generations,  but  for  all  time,  the  will  of  His 
Father. 

The  Church  is  the  ordinary  imi)lement  by  which  He 
works,  in  the  spiritual  order  on  earth.  And  as  a  wise  hus- 
bandman will  not  suffer  his  farming  utensils  to  rust  or  rot, 
as  the  soldier  keeps  his  gun  and  sabre  bright,  and  in  work- 
ing order,  so  the  Saviour  will  forever  preserve  His  Church 
in  indefectibility. 

The  bride  of  the  Lamb  cannot  become  an  adultress. 
**  She  is  the  flower  of  the  field,  and  the  lily  of  the  valleys  ; 
her  cheeks  are  beautiful  as  the  turtle  dove's  ;  and  her  neck 
as  jewels  ;  she  goeth  up  by  the  desert  as  a  pillar  of  smoke 
of  aromatical  spices,  of  myrrh  and  frankincense,  and  of  all 
the  powders  of  the  perfumer.  She  is  all  fair,  and  there  is 
not  a  spot  in  her;  she  is  an  inclosed  garden,  a  fountain 
sealed  up.  Her  neck  is  as  the  tower  of  David,  which  is 
built  with  bulwarks  ;  a  thousand  bucklers  hang  upon  it,  all 
the  armor  of  valiant  men."     (Canticle  of  Canticles;  pas- 

817)1.) 

In  our  next  we  consider  some  changeable  elements  in  the 
Church. 


512  ALETHAURION. 


CHAPTER  CXX. 


A  CHANGEABLE  ELEMENT  IN  THE  CHURCH. 

On  toward  the  close  of  the  middle  ages,  a  celebrated 
painter  was  one  day  passing  through  a  villa,  near  the  city  of 
Florence,  when  his  attention  was  called  to  a  group  of  chil- 
dren at  play  near  one  of  the  fountains.  Taking  a  seat  in 
the  shade  of  some  forest  trees  that  grew  hard  hy,  he  watched 
their  gambols,  forgetting  for  the  moment  his  own  dull  cares, 
or  mingling  them  with  the  events  of  last  night's  dream,  and 
the  scenes  of  days  long  ago.  Whilst  in  this  pensive  mood, 
the  children  drew^  around,  asking  many  boyish  questions  ;  to 
each  of  which  he  gave  a  suitable  and  gentle  answer,  and  in 
turn  he  also  asked  information  of  his  youthful  friends.  He 
soon  discovered  that  they  belonged  to  the  large  class  of 
youngsters  to  be  found  in  every  great  city,  who  may  be 
properly  designated  as  "  the  Lord's  own  boys,"  for  no  one 
else  appears  to  have  either  care  for,  or  control  over  them. 
But  the  artist,  far  from  being  displeased  at  their  freedom, 
listened  to  and  encouraged  each,  as  he  told  the  story  of  the 
dangers  he  had  passed,  and  the  deeds  that  he  had  done. 

Then,  having  distributed  amongst  them  some  few  small 
coins,  he  took  his  leave  ;  but  not  until  he  had  exacted  a 
promise  of  the  largest,  to  come  to  his  house  on  the  next  day 
at  a  certain  hour. 

The  boy's  finely  chiseled  features,  admirably  shaped  head 
and  agile  body,  proclaimed  him  a  member  of  the  aristocracy 
of  beauty  ;  whilst  the  steady  gaze  of  his  lustrous  and  flashing 
eyes  showed  that  genius  was  not  wanting. 

The  artist  had  been  seeking  such  a  model  for  months,  and 
secretly  rejoiced  that  he  had  at  length  found  it  where  he 
least  expected. 

Not  long  after  a  picture  was  hung  up  in  one  of  the  public 


ALETHAURION.  513 

galleries  of  the  city,  one  that  readily  attracted,  and  fixed  the 
attention  of  every  passer-by.  It  was  a  faithful  portrait  of 
the  youth  already  mentioned.  All  who  saw  it  and  had 
learned  that  the  picture  was  really  from  nature,  felt  happier 
at  the  thought  that  the  race  of  Ad^ui  could  yet  boast  of  such 
models  of  perfection. 

But,  whilst  others  were  pleased  the  artist  seemed  restless 
and  despondent  every  time  he  looked  upon  the  picture.  He 
had,  in  fact,  on  the  day  of  its  completion,  conceived  the 
idea  of  painting  its  counterpart.  But  though  he  could 
have  drawn  on  his  imairination,  and  easily  have  produced  a 
work  as  ugly  as  the  other  was  beautiful,  yet  the  contrast 
in  that  case  would  not  have  been  perfect. 

For  years  he  sought  a  living  model,  and,  though  he  found 
many  whom  accident  or  design  had  disfiguied,  he  failed  to 
discover  a  genuine  work  of  nature  to  correspond  with  his 
conception  of  what  the  counterpart  should  be. 

Finally  he  gave  up  the  search  in  despair  and  had  set  his 
thoughts  upon  other  things  ;  until  one  afternoon  he  chanced 
to  pass  bythe  public  prison,  where  he  saw,  through  the  bars 
a  face  that  at  once  brought  back  his  former  hopes  and 
asi)irations. 

It  was  that  of  a  man  who  apparently,  had  not  as  yet,  by 
many  years,  touched  the  meridian  of  life.  But  the  expres- 
sion and  the  features  were  so  intensely  diabolical  that  it  was 
a  wonder  to  even  the  artist  himself  how  so  much  haggard 
villainy  could  have  been  gathered  within  so  small  a  com- 
pass. 

He  lost  no  time,  but  called  upon  the  jailer  forthwith. 
From  him  he  learned  that  the  prisoner  had  l)een,  until  the 
day  before,  a  brigand,  and  a  leader  amongst  them  ;  and 
since  his  capture  he  had  not  ceased  to  blaspheme  God,  the 
saints,  and  his  own  soul,  in  the  most  horrible  manner. 

The  painter  then  made  known  his  errand  ;  and  the  things 
were  so  arranged,  that  without  the  prisoner's  knowledge,  a 
truthful  image  of  him  was  soon  registered  upon  the  canvas. 


514  ALETHAURION. 

The  urti^it  next  brought  his  former  ideal  from  the  gallery, 
where  it  had  hung  for  years,  and  placing  it  alongside  of 
that  other  just  finished,  requested  that  the  prisoner  be  led 
from  Ills  cell,  to  a  point  from  which  he  could  see  both,  and 
mark  the  contrast. 

The  brigand  gazed  upon  that  portrait  in  which  his  present 
-depravity  was  so  faithfully  depicted,  and  as  he  did  so,  a  flash 
of  infernal  satisfaction  darted  from  his  truculent  eyes. 
But  when  he  had  looked  only  for  a  moment  on  its  counter- 
part— on  that  handsome  and  innocent  youth — the  hardened 
robber,  house-burner  and  assassin,  shuddered,  tottered  to 
the  opposite  wall,  and  wept. 

It  too,  was  his  own  likeness,  taken  years  ago,  before 
crime  had  blackened  his  soul,  and  evil  thoughts  and  pas- 
sions distorted  the  lineaments  of  his  fair  face.  But  repent- 
ance could  not  then  satisfy  the  demands  of  justice,  which 
claimed  his  life. 

Still  the  battle  was  won  ;  the  lost  sheep  was  found  ;  the 
prodigal  was  on  his  way  home,  thanking  the  Heavenly 
Father  for  his  mercies  which  endure  forever. 

"  For  years,"  said  he  to  his  confessoi*.  "■  I  despised  the  wise  counsels 
of  the  Church,  and  sought  only  the  admiration  of  the  wicked,  and  the 
Indulgence  of  my  evil  passions ;  but  now  I  know  that  virtue  is  to  be 
more  highly  esteemed  than  beauty  of  form,  and  that  honest  and  system- 
atic mediocrity  better  than  erratic  genius." 

The  case  of  this  youth,  who  whilst  retaining  personal 
identity,  changed  in  everything  else  not  essential  to  his 
being,  will  serve  to  illustrate  how  the  Church  can  be  one, 
holyj  catholic,  apostolic,  indefectible,  infallible  and  author- 
itative, and  yet  change  in  matters  appertaining  to  discipline. 

It  may  easily  be  conceived  how  the  Church,  in  one  or 
more  provinces,  through  incompetency  or  vice  on  the  part 
of  those  who  represent  it,  could  be  made  so  haggard  as  to 
be  an  object  of  scorn  to  the  passer-by  and  an  affliction  to 
the  sacred  heart  of  its  Divine  Founder. 

The  Jewish  Synagogue,  which  pointed  out  the  true  way 
until    the  Saviour  appeared   on   earth,   became    under  the 


ALETHAUKION.  515 

manipulation  of  the  Scribes  and  Pharisees,  such  as  we  speak 
of.  Ophni  and  Phinees,  the  sons  of  the  High  Priest  Heli, 
rendered  the  Synagogue  odious  also  in  their  day. 

Even  in  the  apostolic  times,  God,  through  the  mouth  of 
St.  John,  warned  the  bishop  of  Ephesus,  because  he  had 
fallen  away  from  his  first  charity. 

In  the  middle  ages  the  right  of  investiture  claimed  by 
some  temporal  princes,  was  a  frightful  source  of  mischief, 
bespattering  the  garments  of  the  spouse  of  Christ  with 
ordure  in  the  shape  of  worthless  al)bot8  and  bishops. 

So  deeply  indeed  had  the  evil  taken  root,  that  Pope  St. 
Gregory,  after  having  fought  against  it  during  his  entire 
pontificate,  had  to  console  himself  on  his  death-bed  with  the 
words : 

"  I  have  loved  justice  and  hated  iniquitj',  therefore  I  die  in  exile." 

The  laxity  of  discipline,  for  some  years  before  and  at  the 
time  of  Luther,  was  without  doubt  one  of  the  causes  or 
occasions  of  that  heresiarch's  success  in  the  dissemination  of 
his  errors.  For,  were  he  to  arise  from  the  dead  and  appear 
now,  his  drunken  bellowings  would  only  excite  contempt, 
and  his  deljaucheries  render  him  odious  to  all  the  living. 

There  are  evils  even  in  our  own  day  and  country,  which 
the  good  and  virtuous  are  beginning  to  regard  with  some 
alarm.  A  growing  spirit  of  pride  and  pomposity  seems  to 
be  taking  the  place  of  the  simplicity  and  zeal  of  earlier 
years. 

And  the   acquisition  of   muftimon,  through  banking  and 

speculation  is  no  longer  regarded  as  unworthy  of  the  purple. 

Such  things  have  happened   before,  and   they  will  come  to 

pass  again,  and  be  followed  ))y  the  same  consequences. 

"The  Saviour's  fan  is  still  in  His  hand;  and  he  will  thoroughly  cleanse 
his  lloor  atid  gailier  His  wheat  into  the  barn,  but  the  chaff  he  will  burn 
with  unquenchable  fu-e."    Matt,  iii,  12. 

Though,  from  the  beginning,  it  has  been   a  rule  with  us 

not   to   admit   long   quotations   into   these   papei*8,  yet   ou 

account  of  the  matter  of  which   we  now  treat,  it   may  be 


516  ALETHAUKION. 

proper  to  insert  here  what  a  great  saint   and  martyr  of   the 

third  century  had  to  say  of  the  changes  that  had  come  over 

the  Church  in  his  own  day.     It  is  the  martyr  Cypriax  who 

speaks  : 

^'  As  long  repose,"  says  he,  '•  had  corrupted  the  discipline  which  had 
come  down  to  us  from  God,  the  Divine  -judgment  awakening  our  faith 
kept  it  from  declining,  and  if  I  may  so  speak,  from  going  to  sleep ;  and 
though  we  deserved  yet  more  for  our  sins,  the  most  merciful  Lord  has  so 
miOderated  all,  that  what  lias  passed  seemed  rather  a  trial  of  what  we 
were,  than  an  actual  infliction.  Every  one  was  applying  himself  to  the 
increase  of  wealth,  and  forgetting  both  what  was  the  conduct  of  believers 
under  the  Apostles  and  what  ought  to  be  their  conduct  in  every  age ; 
they,  with  insatiable  eagerness  for  gain,  devoted  themselves  to  the  mul- 
tiplying of  possessions.  The  priests  were  wanting  in  religious  devoted- 
ness,  the  deacons  in  entireness  of  faith,  there  was  no  mercy  in  works,  no 
discipline  in  manners.  Men  wore  their  beards  in  fantastic  ways,  and 
women  painted  their  faces  with  a  color.  The  eyes  were  changed  from 
what  God  made  them,  and  a  lying  hue  was  given  to  the  hair.  The 
hearts  of  the  simple  were  misled  by  treacherous  artiflces,  and  brethren 
became  entangled  in  seductive  wiles,  ties  of  marriage  were  formed  with 
unbelievers,  members  of  Christ  abandoned  to  the  heathen.  Not  only 
rash  swearing  was  heard,  but  even  false;  persons  in  high  places  were 
puffed  up  with  contemptuousness ;  poisoned  reproaches  fell  from  their 
lips;  and  men  were  estranged  by  never  ceasing  quarrels.  Numerous 
bishops,  who  ought  to  have  been  an  encouragement  and  an  example  to 
others,  despising  tlieir  sacred  calling,  engaged  themselves  in  secular 
vocations,  relinquished  the  pulpit  and  deserted  their  people,  strayed 
among  foreign  provinces,  hunted  the  markets  for  mercantile  profits,  tried 
to  amass  large  sums  of  money  while  they  had  brethren  starving  within 
the  Church,  took  possession  of  estates  by  fraudulent  proceedings,  and 
multiplied  their  gains  by  accumulated  usuries."  St.  Cyprian  de  lap- 
sis,  iv. 

St.  Cyprian,  who  wrote  tiie  above  not  very  flattering  ac- 
count of  the  Church  in  his  day,  was  Bishop  of  Carthage,  in 
Africa,  and  suffered  martydom  for  the  faith,  A.  D.  258. 
It  will  readily  be  seen  from  the  tenor  of  his  remarks  how 
he  acknowledges,  with  sadness,  that  the  Church  had, 
after  a  long  term  of  peace,  changed  for  the  worse,  in  its 
discipline. 

But  should  any  one  have  attacked  its  indefectibility,  or 
its  infallibility,  in  matters  appertaining  to  faith  and  morals, 
no   one  in  his  day  would  have  been   the  readier  or  more 


ALETHAURION.  517 

vftliant  with  the  pen,  in  its  defense,  than  the  same  Cyprian. 
Hence,  the  faithful  must  not  rest  upon  their  oars,  because 
the  Church  is  indofectihle  ;  there  is  need  of  continual  effort 
to  prevent  the  bark  from  going  down  the  stream. 

But,  if  the  sentinels  on  the  tower  of  Zion  neglect  duty,  or, 
through  sloth  and  worldliness,  refuse  to  be  the  instruments 
of  God's  mercy.  He  will  raise  up  the  unbeliever  and  the 
heretic  to  cleanse  His  floor  and  be  the  instruments  of  His 
justice  and  vengeance. 

In  our  next  we  will  take  a  view  of  the  changeable  clement 
in  the  Church,  from  the  opposite  standpoint. 


CHAPTER  CXXI. 


A  CHANGEABLE  ELEMENT  IN  THE  CHURCH. 

If  one  should  take  an  acorn  and  place  it  in  the  ground, 
under  favorable  circumstances,  it  would  not  be  long  before 
a  tiny  and  tender  shoot  would  be  seen  rising  above  the 
surface ;  this,  in  due  time,  and  with  proper  care,  would 
develop  into  a  twig,  the  twig  into  a  sapling,  and  the  sapling 
into  a  lordly  oak.  Each  season  a  change  would  be  visible, 
for  it  would  continue  to  put  forth  new  branches  and  increase 
in  size,  until  it  had  attained  full  growth. 

And,  even  then,  it  would  notecase  to  change,  for,  as  each 
winter  came,  it  would  shed  its  leaves,  to  be  clothed  again 
with  others  in  the  Spring,  until,  as  the  centuries  passed,  its 
branches,  one  by  one,  would  die  and  fall  to  the  ground, 
leaving  only  the  trunk,  which,  in  its  turn,  would  also  share 
the  fate  of  all  things  earthly. 

Such  a  tree  we  may  regard  as  an  emblem  of  the^^^aiholic 
Church.  Beginning  as  a  tiny  sprout,  it  too  has  grown  and 
flourished,  until  its  branches  overshadow  the  earth.  It  is 
by  far  the  grandest  organization  that  has  ever  been  known 


518  ALETHAURION. 

in  the  world,  and  nothing  human  can  ever  hope  to  rival  its 
maofnificence. 

But,  like  the  tree,  whilst  retaining  identity,  it  too  is  con- 
tinually undergoing  changes  ;  for  as  long  as  there  remains  a 
nation  to  be  converted  to  Christianity,  so  long  will  it  con- 
tinue to  shoot  forth  new  branches. 

Yet  it  is  not  so  much  to  those  changes,  which  are  the  re- 
sult of  natural  growth,  that  we  desire  to  draw  attention. 
There  is  another  mutal)le  element,  symbolized  by  the  putting 
forth  and  fall  of  each  year's  foliage,  of  which  we  wish  to 
speak. 

According  as  any  society  increases  in  numbers,  so  also 
will  new  laws  and  regulations  become  a  necessity.  The 
workingman,  who  has  but  himself  and  wife  to  take  care  of, 
has  only  a  very  short  and  simple  code  to  go  by,  in  his  domes- 
tic affairs — he  does  the  providing,  and  she,  the  cooking. 

But,  as  his  family  increases  and  grows  up,  he  has  to  make 
many  new  rules  and  regulations.  The  pervicacity  of  some 
may  need  to  be  restrained  by  a  ukase  against  keeping  bad 
company,  and  a  firman  against  laziness  may  be  necessary  to 
stimulate  the  sloth  of  others. 

Thus,  also,  while  the  Church  was  in  its  infancy,  but  few 
laws  were  necessary.  Hence,  the  Apostles  and  ancients, 
assembled  in  council  at  Jerusalem,  far  from  undertaking  to 
write  out  an  exhaustive  system  of  canon  law,  confined  them- 
selves to  what  was  needed  under  the  existing  circumstances. 

"  For  it  hath  seemqd  good  to  the  Holy  Ghost  and  to  us,"  said  they, 
"to  lay  no  further  burden  upon  you  than  these  necessary  things.  That 
you  abstain  from  things  sacrificed  to  idols,  and  from  blood,  and  from 
things  strangled,  and  from  fornication ;  fi'om  which  things,  keeping  your- 
selves, you  shall  do  well."    Acts  xv,  28-29. 

But,  as  the  Church  increased,  and  received  under  its 
mantle  men  of  all  nations,  tribes,  and  tongues,  we  find  that 
new  disciplinary  laws  were  made,  and  old  ones,  in  some 
cases,  abrogated,  or  suffered  to  become  obsolete. 

In  the  above  text  we  have  also  a  clear  proof  of   the  fact 


ALETH\URION.  519 

that  the  Apostles  themselves  drew  a  line  of  distinction 
between  dogma  and  discipline. 

The  command  to  abstain  from  blood  and  things  strangled 
was  evidently  not  intended  to  hold  good  for  all  time  ;  yet, 
let  it  be  observed,  in  this  connection,  that  the  Apostles,  iii 
making  the  law,  do  not  state,  either  expressly  or  impliedly, 
that  there  would  come  a  time  tvhen  the  law  would  no  longer 
have  binding  force. 

Here  is  just  the  place  where  our  heretical  neighbors  get 
stuck  in  the  mud.  What  authority  have  they  for  saying 
that  it  is  not  sinful  to  drink  blood  ? 

Protestants  eat  blood  puddings,  and  yet  pretend  to  follow 
the  New  Testament,  which  expressly  forbids  that  they  should 
taste  of  such  things. 

For  us  Catholics  there  is  no  difficulty.  We  believe  in  a 
living,  teaching,  authoritative  Church,  which  has  the  power, 
the  privilege,  and  we  m{»y  add,  the  duty  of  deciding  what  is 
dogma  and  what  is  discipline. 

Hence,  though,  in  the  scripture,  the  eating  of  a  blood 
pudding  is  ranked  with  fornication,  we  Catholics  of  the  pres- 
ent day  do  not  attribute  the  same  importance  to  the  one  that 
we  do  to  the  other  ;  for  the  Church  has  long  since  decided 
that  the  first  is  a  mere  matter  of  discipline,  and  consequently 
may  be  changed,  or  altogether  abrogated,  whereas  the  other 
is  a  truth  of  the  faith,  a  doirma  that  can  not  be  changed. 

Again,  we  are  told  in  the  Acts,  iv,  that,  in  the  beginning 
at  Jerusalem,  all  things  were  in  common  amongst  those  that 
believed  ;  **for  as  many  as  w^ere  owners  of  lands  or  houses, 
sold  them,  and  brought  the  price  of  things  they  sold,  and 
laid  it  down  at  the  feet  of  the  Apostles.  And  distribution 
was  made  to  every  man  according  as  he  had  need." 

Why  do  not  the  heretics  of  our  day  who  receive  the  New 
Testament  as  an  inspired  book,  hold  their  goods  in  com- 
mon? 

They  cannot  have  recourse  to  the  subterfuge  that  such  is 


520  ALETHAURION. 

one  of  the  non-essentials,  for  it  is  stated  in  the  same  book 
of  Acts,  that  AxAXiAS  and  Saphiea  were  both  struck  dead 
for  refusing  to  conform,  and  for  lying  about  what  they 
possessed. 

The  Shakers  are  certainly  more  consistent  in  this  respect 
than  any  other  of  the  heretical  sects.  What  right  has  any 
Protestant  to  say  that  a  community  o-f  goods  amongst 
believers  is  not  one  of  the  apostolic  dogmas. 

Suppose  a  shaker  should  come  across  a  Campbellite  and 
charge  him  with  theft  for  appropriating  to  his  own  exclusive 
use,  goods  that  ought  to  be  common,  according  to  apostolic 
example,  what  would  the  Campbellite  have  to  say  in  his 
defense  ? 

He  would  be  compelled  to  have  recourse  to  the  Catholic 
doctrine  of  a  distinction  between  dogma  and  discipline. 
But,  not  having  the  same  ground  to  stand  on  that  the  Cath- 
olic has,  the  Shaker  would  come  at  him  again,  wanting  to 
know  on  what  authority  he  made  such  a  distinction. 

The  Campbellite  would  be  forced  to  say  on  his  own  ;  and 
the  Shaker,  with  a  grin  and  a  shake,  would  reply,  then  you 
take  yourself  to  be  a  greater  man  than  St.  Peter?  He 
not  only  encouraged  a  community  of  goods  amongst  the 
early  followers  of  Christ,  but  even  punished  Axaxias  and 
Saphira  with  death  for  their  prevarication  in  the  matter. 

The  sects  of  our  day,  and  indeed  of  all  ages,  not  having 

a  living  teaching  and  infallible  authority  to  guide  them,  do 

confound  dogma  and  discipline  most  damnably,  and  to  the 

eternal  perdition  of  many  souls,  redeemed  by  the  blood  of 

Christ.     Take  e.  g.  that  passage  in  the  epistle  of  St.  James 

the  Apostle,  wherein  he  says : 

"Is  any  man  sick  among  you?  let  him  bring  in  the  priests  of  the  Church 
and  let  them  pray  over  him,  aimoiiitiug  him  with  oil.  in  the  name  of  the 
Lord  :  And  the  prayer  of  faith  sliall  save  tlie  sick  man;  and  if  he  be  in 
sins,  they  shall  be  forgiven  him." — v,  14-15. 

This  plain  command,  which  evidently  was  to  have,  and  is 

to  remain  in  force  as   lonoj   as   men   become  sick  and   die. 


ALETIIAURION.  521 

the  heretics  regard  as  a  matter  of  more  discipline,  and 
conseciuently  do  not  any  longiM-  obey  it. 

So  also  the  injunction  to  confess  their  sins  one  to  another 
(James  v,  1(3,)  is  not  observed  by  the  majority  of  the  sects. 
In  many  other  ways,  too  numerous  to  specify  here,  tlicy 
have  changed  dogma  into  discipline,  and  discipline  into 
dogma. 

If  a  deacon's  daughter  gets  sick,  her  father  will  never 
dream  of  calling  in  the  priests  of  the  Church  to  anoint  her 
with  oil,  because,  in  his  opinion,  it  is  a  matter  of  indiffer- 
ence ;  but  if  the  same  girl  happens  to  go  to  a  dance,  ah,  tlien 
the  good  deacon  is  at  his  wit's  end  to  find  some  way  to  ex- 
cuse his  daughter  for  that  awful  crime. 

We  profess  no  special  admiration  for  dancing  masters, 
and  we  firmly  believe  the  country  could  get  alouij  well 
enough  without  them,  yet,  dancing  under  some  circum- 
stances is  not  all  sinful.  And  why  some  of  the  sects  elevate 
their  prejudice  against  it  into  a  dogma,  is  one  of  those  things 
past  finding  out. 

The  Church,  then,  as  we  Catholics  freely  admit,  has  and 
•does  change  in  its  discipline.  Like  the  tree  that  year  after 
year  puts  forth  new  leaves,  the  Church  will  continue  to 
abrogate  old  and  make  new  laws,  according  as  the  circum- 
stances of  time  and  place  may  require. 

But,  in  essentials,  it  will  remain  indefectible,  immutable, 
until  the  archangel's  trumpet  shall  have  sounded,  and  then, 
like  the  fallen  tree,  the  grandest  organization  ever  known 
amongst  men,  will  have  place  no  more  upon  this  earth. 

In  our  next  we  will  institute  a  comparison  between  the 
public  worship  of  the  Church  in  its  infancy,  and  as  it  is  at 
the  present  day. 


522  ALETHAURION. 


CHAPTER  CXXII. 


SO^IE  CHANGES  IN  THE  MODE  OF  PUBLIC  WORSHIP. 

In  the  gospel  of  St.  Matthew  we  read,  that  the  Saviour 
on  the  night  before  he  died,  whilst  seated  with  the  twelve  at 
table,  *'took  bread  and  blessed  and  broke  and  gave  to  his 
disciples,  and  said:  'Take  ye  and  eat ;  this  is  my  body.' 
And  taking  the  chalice  he  gave  thanks,  and  gave  to  them 
saying :  'Drink  ye  all  of  this.  For  this  is  my  blood  of  the 
New  Testament,  which  shall  be  shed  for  many  for  the  re- 
mission of  sins.'  "     Matt,  xxvi,  26,  28. 

The  same  account  is  given  substantially  in  the  gospels  of 
Sts.  Mark  and  Luke,  and  I  Cor.,  xi.  On  the  occasion 
alluded  to,  mass. was  said  for  the  first  time  ;  the  Saviour  in 
person.  High  Priest,  forever,  according  to  the  order  of 
Melchisedec,  being  celebrant,  and  the  Apostles  communi- 
cants. 

Not  wishing  to  discuss  here  the  doctrine  of  the  real  pres- 
ence, nor  to  show  that  in  the  mass  there  is  offered  to  God  a 
true  sacrifice,  we  shall  content  ourselves  with  instituting  a 
comparison  between  the  ways  of  conducting  the  public  wor- 
ship then  and  now. 

Mass,  as  first  said,  was  essentially  the  same  as  it  is  to-day  ; 
the  priest  is  the  same,  the  words  and  sacrificial  act  are  in 
nowise  different.  Yet,  to  the  outward  eye,  there  is  a  vast 
change. 

A  liturgy  has  been  formed  and  ceremonies  have  been  in- 
troduced that  give  offense  to  heretics.  They  are  continually 
jabbering  about  simplicity,  forgetting  that  Christ  always 
spoke  and  acted  as  God. 

The  commander-in-chief  of  an  army  does  not  employ  his 
time  in  drilling  lecruits,  teaching  this  one  how  to  hold  his 


ALETIIAUKION.  523 

gun,  and  that  one  how  to  wear  hi.-^  hat.     Such  things  are 
entrusted  to  the  care  of  inferior  officers. 

Yet,  the  general  is  not  indifferent ;  on  the  contrary,  he 
takes  care  to  see  that  his  soldiers  are  well  able  to  handle 
their  arms,  and  capable  of  executing  military  evolutions  with 
ease  and  rapidity. 

Thus  also  the  Saviour,  the  head  of  the  Church,  whilst  in 
this  life,  did  not  concern  Himself  to  any  great  extent  with 
matters  of  mere  ceremony  ;  but  He  left  with  His  Apostles, 
inspired  by  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  with  the  Church  which  He 
founded,  the  right  and  authority  to  introduce  such  as  would 
be  most  suitable. 

Hence  we  find  that,  at  the  beginning  of  the  fourth  cen- 
tury, when  peace  was  given,  there  was  a  liturgy  and  cere- 
monies dating  back  almost  or  quite  to  the  Ai)ostles. 

Thus,  in  the  matter  of  which  we  are  speaking,  there  has 
been  an  evolution,  so  to  speak  ;  the  grain  of  mustard  seed 
sown  in  the  earth  has  grown  up  and  become  greater  than  all 
the  herbs,  and  has  shot  out  great  branches  so  that  the  birds 
of  the  air  may  dwell  under  its  shadow.     Mark,  iv. 

The  man  who  is  scandalized  at  the  present  magnificence 
of  Catholic  worship,  and  whines  for  primitive  simplicity, 
may  well  be  likened  to  him  who  would  cut  down  the  lordly 
oak,  and  then  go  rooting  in  the  ground  to  find  the  acorn 
from  which  it  sprung. 

But  let  us  come  to  concrete  analysis.  Suppose  some 
biblical  backwoodsman,  who  had  never  before  been  inside 
of  a  Catholic  Church,  should,  on  a  fine  Sunday  morning, 
enter  one  of  our  places  of  worship.  What  is  the  first  thing 
that  would  attract  his  attention? 

Most  probably  it  would  be  the  great  number  of  lights  he 
would  see  burning  around  the  altar.  And,  if  of  a  Yankee 
turn  of  mind,  he  would  naturally  ask  the  question  :  To  what 
purpose  are  all  those  lights  in  daytime  ? 

Let  us,  as  far  as  we  can,  give  him  a  reasonable  answer  to 
his  question. 


524  AT.ETHAURION. 

First  of  all,  he  must  be  told  that  in  the  early  ages  of 
Christianity,  those  who  professed  it  did  not  enjoy  the  liberty 
of  worshipping  God  in  broad  daylight.  If  they  had 
attempted  to  do  so,  their  pagan  neighbors  would  have  had 
them  arrested  and  put  to  death. 

It  was  only  in  the  dark  depths  of  tlie  Catacombs,  or  in 
places  equally  obscure,  that  they  could  feel  safe  whilst  cele- 
brating or  being  present  at  the  sacred  mysteries. 

And  at  the  present  day,  in  passing  through  the  Catacombs 
of  St.  Calixtus,  one  may  find  little  chapels,  where  mass  was 
celebrated  in  early  days,  the  altar  being  the  tomb  of  some 
one  of  the  martyrs.  Hence  the  necessity  and  origin  of 
lights  around  the  altars. 

Even  after  the  persecutions  had  ceased,  the  use  of  lights 
was  still  continued,  for  the  churches  in  primitive  times  were 
purposely  so  constructed  as  to  admit  but  little  light  from  the 
outside.  It  was  supposed  that  houses  so  built  would  be 
most  favorable  to  recollection  of  spirit. 

Yet  it  is  not  alone  for  utility  sake,  not  alone  for  the  orna- 
mentation of  our  altars,  that  we  still  continue  the  use  of 
lights.  There  is  also  another  reason.  Who  is  it  that  can 
be  ignorant  of  the  fact  that  at  least  one  way  of  honoring 
those  who  are  esteemed  worthy,  is  by  means  of  fire  and 
lights. 

Light  is  a  sign  of  joy  and  gladness,  and  hence,  on  great 
public  occasions,  when  there  is  question  of  celebrating  some 
remarkable  event,  when  popular  feeling  is  brought  up  to  a 
high  state  of  excitement,  by  reason  of  some  victory  gained, 
such  joy  is  manifested  externally  by  bonfires  and  by  the 
illumination  of  houses. 

We,  on  the  same  principle,  use  lights  in  our  Churches  to 
honor  God,  who,  though  He  fills  the  universe  with  His 
majesty,  is  present  in  a  special  manner  in  those  houses  where 
we  worship  Ilim. 

This  custom  of  using  lights  during  time  of  divine  service, 
we  find  to  have  been  practiced  from  the  earliest  times,  not 


ALETIIAURIOX.  525 

alone  in  the  Church  of   Rome,    but   also   in   the  Oriental 

Churches,  which  have  rites  and  ceremonies  coming  do\yn 

from  apostolic  times. 

St.  Jerome,  who  flourished  during  the  fourth  century, 

^ays,  in  vol.  iv,  part  i,  page  284,  of  his  works,  that  in  his 

time,  throughout  the  East,  candles  were  used  in  the  churches 

in  broad  daylight,  not  so  much  to  dispel  the  darkness,  as  for 

a  sign  of  joy,  and  in  order  to  represent  by  the  sensible  light 

that  other  interior  one,  of  which  the  Psalmist  speaks  when 

he  says : 

*'Thy  word,  O  Lord,  is  as  a  torch  which  enlightens  me  and  directs  my 
steps  in  the  paths  of  virtue." 

The  lighted  candles  remind  us  of  Christ,  who  is  the  true 
light  which  enlightens  every  man  coming  into  this  world ; 
and  that  it  is  from  Him  we  receive  the  light  of  faith  here, 
and  will  receive  the  light  of  glory  hereafter. 

The  next  thing  that  would  be  likely  to  arrest  the  attention 
of  our  backwoodsman,  on  entering  a  Catholic  Church  for 
the  first  time,  would  most  likely  be  the  great  number  of 
crosses,  pictures  and  statues  he  would  find  therein. 

And  we  may  conceive  him  as  reasoning  thus  with  himself : 
Is  it  then  really  true  that  these  Catholics  worship  pictures 
and  statues,  as  I  have  often  heard  Brother  Spriggixs  say 
they  do  ? 

We  may  answer :  It  is  quite  possible  for  men  to  w^orship 
pictures  and  statues,  for  w^e  know,  from  very  authentic 
sources,  that  the  Pagans  of  ancient  times  did  so,  and  that 
men  who  were  giants  intellectually,  w^ere  idolators  not  wit  h- 
standinc:. 

But  no  Catholic  pays  supreme  homage  to  a  picture  or 
statue.  We  give  them  an  inferior  honor,  because  they 
relate  to  Christ  and  His  saints.  And  if  a  man  is  not  hope- 
lessly drunk  with  prejudice,  he  will  readily  see  how  very 
appropriately  such  an  honor  is  bestowed. 

To  illustrate:  The   writer  has  found  in  the  houses   of 


526  ALETHAUPwIOX. 

Methodists  pictures  of  Joiiy  Wesley,  and  in  those  of  Camp- 
bellites,  likenesses  of  Alexaxder  Campbell.  Did  he  sup- 
pose for  a  moment  that  they  worshipped  those  pictures  ?  Bj 
no  means.  Why  then  are  they  kept?  It  is  because  the 
Methodist  wislies  to  honor  the  memory  of  Wesley,  who 
founded  his  Church,  and  the  Campbellite  wishes  to  do  the 
fair  thing  by  his  man,  Campbell. 

On  the  same  principle  we  Catholics  retain  in  our  places  of 
worship  the  pictures  and  statues  of  Christ,  for  He  was  the 
founder  of  our  Church. 

As  regards  the  cross,  much  need  not  be  said.  Every  sen- 
sible man  ought  to  see  at  a  glance  how  appropriate  is  its 
presence  in  a  Christian  Church.  Every  time  we  look  upon 
the  cross,  we  are  reminded  of  Calvary  and  of  the  redemption 
of  the  human  race. 

Hence  we  put  that  sacred  emblem  on  the  pinnacles  of 
our  steeples,  and  on  the  tops  of  our  altars,  and  in  other  con- 
spicuous places  about  our  Churches.  And  it  is  astonishing 
that  the  heretics  themselves  do  not  see  what  a  fund  of  ridi- 
cule there  is  in  the  practice  of  putting  weather-cocks  on  the 
tops  of  meeting  houses. 

As  regards  the  sign  of  the  cross,  which  is  made  by  putting 
the  right  hand  to  the  forehead,  breast,  right  and  left  shoul- 
ders, with  the  words:  **In  the  name  of  the  Father,  and  of 
the  Son,  and  of  the  Holy  Ghost,"  which  our  backwoodsman 
may  have  also  noticed,  we  may  quote  for  his  benefit,  and  in 
proof  of  its  antiquity,  the  words  of  Tertulliax,  a  Christian 
writer  of  the  second  century.  In  his  book  (De  Cot*ona, 
chap,  iv.)  speaking  of  this  practice,  he  says : 

"At  the  beginning  of  all  our  actions,  on  entering  our  houses,  and  on 
going  out,  when  putting  on  our  clothes,  when  laying  them  aside,  at  table, 
when  we  take  a  seat  or  a  light,  we  make  the  sign  of  cross  on  our  fore- 
heads. These  practices  are  not  commanded  by  a  formal  law  of  Scripture, 
but  we  are  tauglit  them  by  tradition ;  custom  confirms  them,  and  the 
faith  observes  them." 

It  is  worthy  of  remark  that  TertulllAlX  does  not  say  that 


ALETIIAURION.  527 

the  practice  began  in  his  time,  but  refers  it  to  a  yet  more  re- 
mote date. 

Indeed,  it  is  ceilain  that  it  was  the  Apostles  themselves 
who  llrf?t  taught  the  people  to  make  the  sign  of  the  cross, 
for  otherwise  it  would  never  have  gained  such  universality. 

Our  next  will  be  a  continuation. 


CHAPTER  CXXIII. 


THE   USE   OF   THE   LATIN   IX  THE     PUBLIC    SERVICES    OF    THE 

CHURCH. 

Another  of  those  things  likely  to  arrest  the  attention  of  a 
backwoodsman,  attending  public  worship  for  the  first  time 
in  a  Catholic  Church,  would  be  the  fact  that  the  officiat- 
ing minister  speaks  iu  a  language  to  him  strange  and 
unknown. 

This  is  one  of  the  proofs  of  our  antiquity.  It  shows  that 
our  rites  and  ceremonies  go  back  to  a  period  when  the  Latin 
was  the  living  tongue. 

If  the  Catholic  Church  had,  like  most  of  the  sects,  begun 
its  existence  within  the  past  two  or  three  hundred  years,  in 
England  or  this  country,  then  the  English,  in  all  probability, 
would  be  the  lanofuajje  used. 

But  such  is  not  the  case.  The  Catholic  Church  bejjan  its 
career  long  before  there  was  an  English  language.  This 
happened  at  a  period  when  Rome  was  at  the  heighth  of  its 
power  and  splendor;  when  the  Latin  and  Greek  were  the 
lanfiruajjes  of  the  civilized  world. 

And  if  that  backwoodsman  should  not  happen  to  know 
much  about  Latin,  or  its  history,  it  would  be  well  to  tell  him 
that  it  is  one  of  the  noblest  tongues  ever  spoken. 

It  was  the  language  of  the  greatest  race  of  men  known  to 
histoiy,  the  Roman  people,  the  conquerors  of   all   nations, 


528  ALETHAURION. 

who  by  valor  in  Avar,  and  wise  moderation  in  peace,  ruled 
the  world. 

Whose  generals,  statesmen,  orators,  poets  and  philoso- 
phers have  never  been  surpassed  and  seldom  equalled  ;  who 
in  their  better  and  purer  days,  took  nothing  from  their 
enemies  but  their  arms  and  the  power  of  doing  harm  ; 
whose  motto  it  was  to  humble  the  proud  and  spare  the 
vanquished. 

It  is  the  language  of  this  great  people  that  we  use  to-day 
in  the  public  services  of  the  Catholic  Church.  Christianity 
took  it  captive,  as  it  did  that  mighty  Kome  where  it  had  its 
birth  and  development. 

The  Latin  is  by  excellence  the  language  of  the  Church. 
Yet  in  this  connection,  it  may  be  well  not  to  omit  stating 
that  it  is  not  the  only  one  employed.  The  ancient  Greek, 
Syriac  and  Coptic  share  with  it  this  honor. 

These  also  have  liturgies  coming,  down  from  apostolic 
times,  though  as  regards  the  last,  or  Coptic,  there  are  some 
doubts  among  the  learned  as  to  whether  the  liturgy  in  it  is 
of  equal  date  with  the  others.  It  would  not  be  an  easy 
task  to  show  that  it  is,  and  would  be  still  a  more  difficult  one 
to  prove  that  it  is  not. 

Let  us  say  a  word  or  two  concerning  those  different  litur- 
gies. 

In  the  days  of  the  Apostles,  the  ancient  Greek  was  spoken 
not  only  in  Greece  proper,  and  on  the  coast  of  Asia  Minor, 
but  was  also  pretty  well  known  among  the  higher  classes  in 
all  the  principal  cities  throughout  the  oriental  countries  ; 
it  having  been  introduced  there  and  rendered  respectable 
by  the  valor  and  genius  of  Alexander  the  Great,  and  his 
successors. 

Hence  the  apostles  established  in  the  Greek  a  liturgy, 
which  has  comedown,  with  some  changes,  to  our  own  times. 
So  also  throughout  Syria,  Palestine  and  other  Asiatic  coun- 
tries, the  Syriac,  having  been  in  use  among  the  masses,  has 
a  liturgy  dating  back  to  the  apostles. 


ALETHAURION.  529 

These  are  the  only  three  liturgies  that  are  certainly  of 
apostolic  origin. 

As  regards  the  Coptic,  which  is  an  anialguni  of  the  Greek 
and  the  ancient  language  of  Egypt,  spoken  by  the  common 
people  in  the  latter  country,  at  the  commencement  of  our 
era,  it  is  not  certain  whether  its  liturgy  is  apostolic  or  only 
a  translation. 

To  the  four  languages  mentioned,  may  be  added  the 
Armenian,  Ethiopian  and  Sclavonic.  The  first  two  of  which 
have  each  a  liturgy  dating  back  to  the  fourth  century,  and 
the  last  one  had  its  origin  in  the  ninth. 

Thus  besides  the  Latin,  there  are  six  otlier  languages 
that  have  liturgies  of  their  own  ;  and  in  which  priests  say 
Mass. 

A  few  years  ago,  we  noticed  in  one  of  the  daily  papers^ 
a  proposition  made,  or  said  to  have  been,  by  some  promi- 
nent Anglicans  to  the  authorities  at  Rome.  It  was  to  the 
effect,  that  if  certain  concessions  were  made,  they  would 
all  become  good  Catholics.  As  nearly  as  we  can  now 
recollect,  one  of  the  conditions  was,  that  the  liturgy  be 
translated  into  English,  and  an  Anglo-Saxon  rite  formally 
inaugurated. 

If  such  a  proposition  had  been  made  in  good  faith,  from 
true  religious  motives,  and  by  person*  who  could  command 
a  following,  no  doubt,  for  the  sake  of  the  souls  concerned^ 
it  would  have  met  with  a  favorable  hearing  at  Rome. 

But  it  is  too  clear  to  any  one,  except  an  idiot,  that  such 
advances  spring  from  a  sickly  sentimentality  which  ends  in 
froth  only.  If  the  writer  understands  what  true  Christian- 
ity is,  and  he  thinks  he  does,  it  is  the  principal  almve  all 
others  most  antagonistic  to  pride  of  race  and  conceit  of 
wealth. 

It  was  a  boorish  soggy  pride  that  made  John  Bull  apos- 
tatize in  the  first  place  ;  and  he  must  learn  who  he  is,  and 
what  the  Catholic  Church  is,  before  he  again  becomes  a  fit 
subject  for  it  and  for  heaven. 


k: 


5  30  ALETH  AURION . 

Hence,  as  it  is  not  likely  that  Rome  will  add  fuel  to  the 
iiame  by  gratifying  the  vanity  of  a  handful  of  heretical 
preachers,  it  is  likewise  not  probable  that  we  will  have  an 
Anglo-Saxon  liturgy  in  our  day. 

Notwithstanding  what  has  been  said  regarding  the  Syriac, 
Oreek,  Coptic,  Ethiopian,  Armenian  and  Sclavonic,  Latin 
is  still,  by  excellence,  the  language  of  the  Church,  for  the 
Pope,  and  by  far  the  greater  number  of  bishops  as  well  as 
people  belong  to  that  rite. 

Now,  some  one  may  say,  have  not  those  Greeks  and 
Orientals  an  advantage  over  the  Catholic  laity  in  the  Latin 
Church,  inasmuch  as  they  have  liturgies  in  their  own  lan- 
ojuas^es? 

We  may  reply :  If  it  be  an  advantage  that  the  people 
understand  what  the  officiating  minister  says  at  the  altar, 
those  of  whom  we  speak  do  not  possess  it  to  any  greater 
degree  than  is  enjoyed  among  the  Latins. 

Modern  Greek,  called  Romaic,  is  as  different  from  the 
ancient,  as  Italian  is  from  Latin.  And  as  to  the  Syriac, 
Coptic,  Armenian,  Ethiopian  and  Sclavonic,  they  are  also 
either  dead  languages  or  so  changed  that  they  are  no  longer 
intelligible  to  the  masses  of  the  people. 

In  an  institution  like  the  Catholic  Church,  which  has 
lived,  and  is  to  live  for  ages,  teaching  always  the  same 
truths,  every  one  not  blinded  by  prejudice  will  see  at  once 
the  importance  of  having  one  or  more  unchangeable  lan- 
guages to  serve  as  repositories  for  truths  that  must  not  be 
tampered  with. 

True,  the  Church  might  throw  all  those  ancient  liturgies 
overboard  and  still  teach  the  way  of  salvation  with  a  liturgy 
in  each  modern  tongue.  Yet,  such  a  course  w^ould  entail 
endless  labor  ;  for  the  liturgies  and  authorized  versions  of 
the  Scripture  would  have  to  be  changed  according  as  each 
lansruasje  chan«^ed. 

And,  that  the  reader  may  have  ocular  demonstration  of 
the  mutations  that  may,  in  the  course  of  centuries,  take 


ALETHAURION.  531 

place  in  a  living  tongue  we  submit  here  for  his   observation 

a  sentence  taken   from  the   beginning  of  King  Alfred's 

translation  of  Boetius.     It  runs  as  follows  : 

*'  On  thare  tide  the  Gotan  of  Scidhdhiu— Mcegdhe  widh  Romana-rlce 
ge\vin  upjihofon,  and  inidheoracyninguin,  Roedgota  and  Eallerica  w.neron 
hatne,  Romana-burh  abneeon,  and  eall  Italia-riee,  that  is  betwux  tliain 
miintum  andSioilia  tliam  ealonde,  in  anwald  gerehton." 

The  English  language  of  a  thousand  years  hence  will  proba- 
bly be  as  different  from  ours  as  ours  is  from  that  of  Alfred. 
It  is  a  well-known  fact  that  in  a  living  language  not  only  the 
pronunciation  of  many  words«changes,  but  the  meaning  also, 
in  a  comparatively  short  space  of  time. 

The  writer  has  never  been  able  to  see  very  clearly  on  what 
the  opposition  of  heretics  to  the  liturgy  in  a  dead  language 
is  based.  Do  they  mean  to  insinuate  that  the  Omniscient 
does  not  understand  prayers  said  in  Latin,  Greek  or  Syriac? 


CHAPTER    CXXIV. 


THE  USE  OF  SACRED   VESTMENTS   IN    THE    PUBLIC    WORSHIP. 

A  backwoodsman,  entering  a  Catholic  Church  for  the  first 
time,  during  divine  service,  would  also  most  probably  be 
very  much  impressed,  not  alone  by  the  reverential  bearing 
of  the  officiating  ministers  and  people,  but  likewise  by  the 
peculiar  garments  worn  by  the  former. 

And  comparisons,  which  are  said  to  be  odious,  would  sug- 
gest themselves.  But,  as  we  intend,  in  our  next  number,  to 
call  attention  to  the  modes  of  conducting  public  worship 
amongst  sectarians,  we  shall  content  ourselves  at  present 
with  giving  our  backwoodsman  some  ideas  regarding . the 
antiquity  and  propriety  of  those  garments. 

Judging  from  what  we  read  in  the  book  of  Revelations,  it 
would  appear  that  the  use  of  sacred  vestments  is  almost,  if 
not  quite,  as  old  as  Christianity.   St.  John  the  Evangelist,  in 


532  ALETHAURION. 

the  book   referred  to,  speaking  of  a  vision   which   he  had, 
whilst  on  the  island  of  Patmos,  says  : 

"  I  was  in  the  spirit  on  the  Lord's  day,  and  I  saw  seven  golden  can- 
dlesticks; and  in  the  midst  of  the  seven  golden  candlesticks,  one  like 
unto  the  Son  of  Man,  clothed  with  a  garment  down  to  the  feet,  and  girded 
under  the  arms  with  a  golden  girdle.*'    Rev.  i    10-13. 
Again  : 

"  After  these  things  I  saw:  and,  behold,  a  door  opened  in  heaven: 
and  the  first  voice  which  I  heard,  was  as  it  were,  of  a  trumpet  speaking 
with  me,  saying:  Come  up  thither,  and  I  will  show  thee  things  which 
must  come  to  pass  hereafter.  And  immediately  I  was  in  the  spirit :  and 
behold,  there  was  a  throne  set  in  iieaven,  and  one  sitting  upon 
the  throne.  And  he  that  sat  was  to  the  sight  like  the  jas- 
per and  the  sardine-stone;  and  there  was  a  rainbow  round 
about  the  throne  in  sight  like  to  an  emerald.  And  round  about 
the  throne  were  four  and  twenty  seats ;  and  upon  the  seats,  four  and 
twenty  ancients  sitting,  clothed  in  white  garments  and  golden  crowns  on 
their  heads.''    Rev.  iv,  1-4. 

In  these  visions  we  have  the  head  of  the  Church,  Christ 
himself,  as  well  as  the  ancients  that  surrounded  His  throne^ 
represented  as  clad  in  sacerdotal  robes. 

Rigorously  speaking,  however,  the  visions  do  not  show 
conclusively  that  such  garments  were  used  at  the  celebra- 
tion of  the  divine  mysteries  in  the  days  of  St.  John  ;  for 
the  description  is  not  of  earthly  but  of  heavenly  scenes.  But 
we  have  enough  to  enable  us  to  draw  a  very  favorable 
inference. 

Indeed  it  is  not  at  all  an  easy  matter  to  give  specific  and 
positive  proofs  that  the  Apostles  used  any  others  besides 
their  ordinary  garments  during  time  of  divine  service.  And 
yet,  it  would  be  a  more  hazardous  undertaking,  should  any 
one  attempt  to  prove  that  they  did  not. 

Hence,  in  default  of  proof  either  way,  we  may  be 
allow^ed  to  theorize.  If  we  take  into  consideration  the  im- 
portance  attached  from  the  very  beginning,  to  the  com- 
memoration of  the  last  supper  of  our  Lord,  it  would  not  be 
a  stretch  of  imagination,  but  rather  a  true  insight  into  human 
nature,  if  one  should  say  that  in  those  houses,  private  at  that 
time,  where  the  faithful  were  accustomed  to  meet,  there  was 


ALETUAURION.  533 

kept  a  mantle  or  cloak  of  some  kind,  to  be  used  over  his 
ordinary  garments  by  the  officiating  minister. 

Propriety  and  a  l)ecoming  sense  of  decency  in  the  divine 
worship  would  easily  have  suggested  such  a  thing.  That 
sectarian  preacher  who,  a  few  weeks  ago,  refused  to  put  in 
an  appearance  in  his  pulpit  until  his  people  had  got  him  a 
new  suit  of  clothes,  showed  his  appreciation  at  least  of  the 
importance  of  his  position. 

And  it  must  not  be  presumed  that  the  Apostles  and  other 
early  bishops  of  the  Church  had  less  respect  for  the  holy 
table  at  which  they  officiated  than  he  had  for  his  pulpit. 
Such  a  mantle  or  cloak  being  once  introduced,  we  may  easily 
imagine  the  rest. 

The  piety  and  taste  of  devout  women,  skillful  with  the 
needle,  who  ministered  to  the  wants  of  the  churches,  would 
have  embroidered  those  garments,  and  thus  in  a  very  short 
time  they  would  have  become  sanctified,  in  the  eyes  of  the 
people,  by  their  use  in  the  celebration  of  the  divine  mysteries. 

This  appears  to  the  writer  to  be  the  true  theory  of  the  origin 
of  sacerdotal  robes  in  the  New  Dispensation.  Some  may  wish 
to  go  farther  back,  and  connect  the  use  of  our  sacred  vest- 
ments with  the  command  given  by  God  to  Moses,  (Exbdus 
xxviii,)  respecting  the  official  robes  to  be  worn  by  Aaron 
and  his  sons. 

But,  as  the  ceremonial  law  of  the  Jews  ceased  to  have 
binding  force  with  the  Saviour's  death,  we  can  hardly  regard 
that  command  as  the  cause  or  even  the  occasion  of  sacerdotal 
robes  in  the  New  Law. 

The  same  motive  which  influenced  Moses  in  this  matter, 
viz :  a  wish  to  inspire  the  people  with  respect  for  the  public 
worship,  and  the  pi'iests  themselves  with  an  idea  of  the  sub- 
limity of  their  office,  could  also  have  had  an  independent 
influence  in  shaping  the  conduct  of  the  Christian  hierarchy 
in  primitive  times. 

Whatever  may  be  said  of  the  use  of  sacred  vestments 
during  the  centuries  of  the  Pagan  persecutions,  it  is  certain 


534  ALETHAURION. 

that  no  sooner  had  permission  been  granted  to  the  Christians 
to  worship  freely  *n  b-oad  day-light  than  we  find  a  becoming 
splendor  in  the  ceremonies  of  the  Church,  and  a  richness 
and  mas^nificence  in  ihe  official  robes  of  its  ministers. 

Theodoret  (Hist.Eccl.,  ii,  27)  tells  us  how  Constaxtine, 
the  first  Catholic  Emperor  of  Kome,  made  a  present  of  a 
robe  of  gold  cloth  to  the  bishop  of  Jerusalem,  to  be  used  by 
him  in  administering  the  sacrament  of  baptism. 

BixGHAM  (Orig.  Eccles.,  xiii,  8)  gives  many  other  exam- 
ples, taken  from  authors  of  the  fourth  century ;  yet 
insinuates  at  the  same  time  that  no  vestige  of  the  practice 
can  be  found  in  the  history  of  the  three  preceding  centuries. 

But  BixGFix\M  should  know  that,  from  the  fa(;t  that  no  ex- 
press mention  is  made  of  sacerdotal  robes  by  writers  of  the 
first,  second  and  third  centuries,  it  by  no  means  follows  that 
such  garments  were  not  in  common  use. 

Apropos  of  what  has  been  thus  far  said,  we  may  here 
insert  a  quotation  from  the  learned  Fleury  : 

"  From  the  early  days  of  the  Church,"  says  he,  "  the  bishops,  priests 
and  other  ministers  dressed  in  brilliant  robes, specially  suited  to  their  office. 

*  *  *  Xot  that  these  garments  were  of  an  extraordinary  shape. 
The  chasuble  was  the  ordinary  dress  in  the  time  of  St.  Augustine  ;  the 
dsilnnatic  was  in  use  from  the  days  of  the  Emperor  Valerian;  the  stole 
was  a  common  mantle  worn  even  by  women ;  finally,  the  maniple  was 
only  a  linen  cloth  which  the  ministers  of  the  altar  carried  in  their  hands, 
to  serve  them  at  the  holy  table.  The  alb  itself,  was  at  first,  not  peculiar 
to  clerics.  But,  after  these  had  become  accustomed  to  wear  it  continually^ 
it  was  recommended  that  priests  should  have  another,  to  be  used  exclus- 
ively at  the  altar,  so  that  it  might  be  clean.  Thus  also  it  is  probable  that 
at  the  time  when  priests  wore  the  chasuble  or  dalmatic  every  day,  they 
had  others,  made  of  richer  material  and  more  attractive  as  to  color,  but 
of  the  same  shape,  to  be  used  only  at  the  altar."     (Mceurs  des  Chret.  41.) 

Not  a  few  authors,  amongst  whom  St.  Germain, 
patriarch  of  Constantinople,  a  writer  of  the  eighth  century, 
have  given  to  each  vestment  a  mystic  signification. 

The  stole,  according  to  him,  represents  the  humanity  of 
Christ,  sprinkled  with  His  blood  ;  the  alb  is  a  symbol  of 
the  innocent  lives  which  Ecclesiastics  should  lead  ;  the  cinc- 
ture represents  the  cords  with  which  the  Saviour  was  bound  ; 


ALETHAURION.  535 

and  the  chasuble  stands  for  the  purple  robe  thrown  over 
Him,  in  mockery,  whilst  in  the  house  of  Pilate. 

The  destructive  genius  of  Protestantism  has,  with  a  few 
exceptions,  banished  all  those  sacred  robes  and  ornaments 
from  their  churches,  leaving  only  the  bare  walls,  the 
benches,  and  a  preacher  in  claw-hammer  coat  and  breeches, 
to  shout  from  that  roost  they  call  the  pulpit.  This  is  apos- 
tolic simplicity  with  a  vengeance. 

The  greater  part  of  our  next  will  be  description  of  a. 
camp-meeting. 


CHAPTER  CXXV. 


THE    PUBLIC    WORSHIP    AMONGST     SECTARIANS — DESCRIPTION 
OF   A   CAMP-]HEETING. 

Having  spoken  of  divine  services  as  conducted  in  the 
Catholic  Church,  we  shall  now  finish  the  subject  with  a 
few  remarks  on  the  mode  of  public  worship  amongst 
sectarians. 

Ultra-Protestantism,  which  is  closely  allied  to  InfiRlity^ 
has  done  away  with  almost  everything  calculated  to  arouse 
the  true  religious  sentiment  within  the  human  breast. 

Its  meeting  houses,  even  when  new,  are  but  sign -posts  to 
desolation ;  and  the  thumping  and  screaming  of  the 
preacher,  exciting  his  hearers  to  hatred  against  the  true  faith 
or  against  some  rival  sect,  carry  the  imagination  to  the 
abodes  of  the  damned,  rather  than  to  the  blessed  mansions 
of  the  angels. 

Protestantism  has  no  sacrifice,  no  priesthood.  It  has  no 
one  who  can  say  with  authority  from  on  high  to  the  dying 
sinner:  '*I  absolve  thee  from  thy  sins."»  Its  commemor- 
ation of  the  Last  Supper  is  only  a  parody  on  Mass.  Its 
whole  being  and  entity  is  like  every  work  of  the  devil ;  a 
sham  and  a  snare. 


536  ALETHAURION. 

We  had  intended  at  first  to  have  given,  from  fragmentary 
hearsay,  and  imperfect  personal  observation  made  years  ago, 
a  true  account  of  all  that  would  be  likely  to  arrest  the 
attention  of  a  Catholic  witnessing  for  the  first  time  some  of 
the  maneuvers  of  heresy.  But  as  such  an  attempt  might 
lead  to  a  suspicion  of  exaggeration,  we  prefer  presenting  to 
the  reader  what  another,  a  disinterested  man  of  the  world 
has  written  on  the  subject. 

Camp-meetings  give  us  true  pictures  of  ultra-Protestan- 
ism  ;  and,  in  studying  their  development  we  get  to  the  quint- 
essence of  heresy,  viz  :  private  interpretation  of  the  Scrip- 
tures, and  a  supposed  divine  inspiration  of  the  individual. 

The  following  description  of  one  of  those  camp-meetings, 
is  from  the  pen  of  an  eye  witness.  The  writer  has  made  no 
essential  change  in  the  text,  but  only  abbreviated. 

*' On  approaching  the  camp-ground,"  says  he,  ''every- 
thing seemed  in  confusion .  Some  were  eating,  some  talking, 
some  smoking,  some  in  the  tents  singing — some  praying. 

''  In  this  confusion  a  few  toots  from  the  bugle  brought 
the  people  streaming  from  all  parts  to  seats  under  the  arbor. 
Six  preachers  next  took  their  seats  in  and  near  the  pulpit. 
AAymn  having  been  sung,  one  of  the  ministers  arose  and 
read  another.     The  congregation  stood  up  and  joined  in. 

*'  Another  hymn,  and  then  the  minister  read  his  text.  He 
related  some  deatli-bed  scenes  in'  a  tone  and  manner  that 
made  some  women  scream.  At  the  recital  of  one  of  his 
anecdotes  several  shouted,  some  clapped  their  hands  and  one 
woman  swooned.  The  excitement  became  so  great  and  the 
noise  so  loud  I  had  to  draw  nearer  the  stand  to  hear  what 
the  speaker  was  saying. 

'*  He  was  a  man  some  five  feet  ten  inches  high,  full  chest, 
^small  head,  retreating  forehead,  large  mouth,  thick  neck, 
fiery  eyes  and  strong  voice.  Towards  the  conclusion  of  his 
discourse  he  kicked,  struck  his  breast  and  appeared  greatly 
excited,  and  concluded  by  inviting  mourners  to  the  altar  of 
prayer. 


ALKTHAURION.  537 

**The  sinijcrs  struck  up  a  hymn,  and  the  pen  in  front, 
called  the  altar,  having  been  cleared,  several  came  forward. 
Mothers  started  for  their  sons,  sisters  for  their  brothers,  and 
some  for  other  friends.  They  seized  them  by  the  hands 
and  draorored  them  into  the  altar. 

**  One  refused  to  go  but  others  pushed  him,  whilst  a 
fourth  beat  time  on  the  smitten  mourner's  back.  At  this 
juncture  questions  were  asked  and  answered  to  the  satisfac- 
tion of  the  inquirers  ;  and  it  was  announced  that  another 
soul  was  converted.  This  swelled  the  volume  of  frenzy,  and 
singing,  praying,  groaning  and  shouting  followed. 

**  After  this  scene  of  confusion  had  begun  to  subside  a 
brother  was  called  on  to  pray.  He  commenced  in  a  soft 
and  subdued  tone,  but  soon  his  petitions,  were  drowned  in 
an  ocean  of  *  Aniens.'  Gradually  warming  up  to  his  work, 
his  voice  became  louder  and  louder,  until  the  ravings  of  a 
maniac  could  scarcely  have  equalled  the  flow  of  his  peti- 
tions. 

*'  Suddenly  he  stopped,  but  in  a  moment  the  operators 
were  on  their  feet  singing  and  crying  out  '  Amen,  Lord  ! ' 
*  God  grant  it ! '  *  Yes  Lord  ! '  and  such  like  expressions, 
uttered  with  every  imaginable  emphasis  and  intonation,  IB 
the  frenzy  got  beyond  all  control.  It  seemed  as  if  Bedlam 
had  been  let  loose. 

'' Every  violent  distortion,  every  frenzied  expression  of 
the  countenance,  every  conceivable  intonation  of  the  voice 
were  seen  and  heard,  blended  in  one  indescribable  scene  of 
the  most  fanatical  and  harrowing  excess.  They  jumped  and 
yelled,  and  barked  and  groaned,  and  grunted,  howled  and 
screamed,  cried  and  laughed,  tumbled  and  rolled  over  one 
another — men,  women  and  children,  as  if  reason  had  been 
dethroned  and  the  mind  had  become  chaos. 

**  Amid  this  confu»i(»n,  a  trumpet-lunged  brother  cried 
out  for  more  straw.  (The  straw  had  become  wet  from  a 
recent  shower).  Adding  that  some  of  the  poor  mourners 
might  be  lost  for  the  want  of  straw.     *  Straw  !  straw  !  more 


538  ALETHAURION. 

straw!'  said  he.  *  Yes,' answered  one  in  the  pen,  MYe 
want  more  straw.  We  are  going  to  have  a  ground. scuffle 
with  the  devil  here  to-night.' 

**  In  the  meanwhile  some  were  working  off  their  super- 
abundant religion,  like  a-  locomotive  with  too  big  a  head  of 
steam  on,  by  shouting,  *  Glory  !  hallelujah!'  Others  in 
spasmodic  jerkings,  kickings,  and  tossing  of  their  arms. 

"  Another  cried  out  suddenl}^ :  *  Shout !  shout !  the  devil's 
about !  '  *  Yes.'  responded  a  third,  *  the  devil  is  here,  breth- 
ren ;  and  I'll  drive  him  off ! '  Taking  his  cane  he  began  to 
strike  here  and  there  at  a  round  rate,  running  and  turning, 
and  striking  on  the  ground  as  he  went,  first  on  one  side  and 
then  on  the  other.  'There  he  goes  !  there  he  goes  ! '  said 
he,  'he's  gone;  thank  God  !  Amen!  Hallelujah?'  Then 
followed  a  scene  of  wild  excitement  that  is  indescribable. 

"  After  this  a  fiery  class-leader  was  called  on  to  pray.  By 
rubbing  and  clapping  his  hands  and  sucking  in  the  wind,  he 
soon  got  up  steam  and  prayed  for  arrows  of  conviction. 
'Yes,  Lord,"  said  a  brother  '  let  them  fly  thick  and  fast !  ' 
'  Amen  ! '  said  another.  '  Send  them  now  Lord  !  just  now  ^ 
ifit  this  particular  instant !' 

p  "  About  this  time  one  of  the  mourners  gave  indications  of 
the  working  of  his  faith  by  tossing  his  arms  about  and  kick- 
ing. He  foamed  at  the  mouth,  his  teeth  were  set,  and  his 
fists  clenclied  ;  reminding  one  of  the  man  possessed  by  the 
devil,  mentioned  in  the  Scriptures.  Directly  he  shouted, 
'  Glory  !  glory  !  hallelujah  !  ' 

"  The  brethren  and  sisters  fi^athered  around,  some  lauojh- 
ing,  some  shouting  '  Glory  to  the  Lord  !  another  sinner  has 
got  religion !  '  The  effect  was  electrical.  Some  dozen 
females  were  seized  with  spasmodic  religion.  They 
groaned  and  screamed  and  howled  and  jumped  ;  clapped 
their  hands,  fell  down,  and  enacted  scenes  shocking  to 
modesty. 

"  About  this  time  a  messenger  arrived,  and  calling  to  one 
of  the  women  rolling  about  in  the  pen,  so   happy   that  she 


ALETHAURION.  539 

had  probably  forgotten  that  she  had  either  feet  or  legs,  and 
told  her  *  that  Tom  had  got  religion.'  She  sprang  to  her 
feet  and  cried,  *  Glory  be  to  God  !  Tom's  got  religion  ! 
Glory!  glory!  glory  I  Where's  Tom?  Where's  Tom? 
Glory  !  hallelnjah  !' 

*'  In  the  midst  of  this  excitement,  one  who  seemed  to  be 
general  manager,  gave  a  few  toots  on  the  bugle,  and  in  an 
instant  all  was  quiet ;  the  congregation  broke  up  and  struck 
for  the  tents,  and  I  for  the  inn. 

"  I  attended  the  meeting  again  on  the  following  night.  A 
tall  slender  man  delivered  a  discourse,  which,  though  argu- 
mentative and  good,  produced  no  marked  impression.  He 
sat  down,  and  another  minister  arose,  singing  an  exciting 
song. 

**  The  latter  was  a  high-chested  and  tough-lunged  citizen, 
with  stentorian  voice.  The  song  concluded,  he  commenced 
his  exhortation  by  rubbing  his  hands,  sucking  the  wind,  and 
stamping  with  his  feet.  He  related  anecdotes  of  death-bed 
scenes. 

•*  Some  groaned,  one  ejaculated,  *  Fire,  Lord  !  fire!' 
'Amen,' shouted  another;  *  send  down  the  Holy  Ghos^ 
Lord  with  power  !  cried  a  third  ;  *  Let  him  come  now,  ju^ 
now,  this  very  minute,  this  particular  second.  *  Amen,' 
shouted  a  fourth  brother.  Mourners  were  called  for,  and  a 
few  matched  into  the  straw  altar.  They  prayed  and  sang, 
but  every  thing  seemed  to  drag. 

**  A  new  thought  suddenly  struck  the  mind  of  one  of  the 
veteran  operators.  *  For  some  reason  brethren,'  said  he, 
'  God  has  withdrawn  his  presence  from  us.'  *  That's  true, 
that's  true,'  responded  another.     *  That's  so,'  cried  a  third. 

*  I  believe  he  is  somewhere,  not  far  off,'  suggested  another, 

*  Let's  go  and  hunt  him.' 

*<  In  a  minute  quite  a  number  were  engaged  in  the  search. 
One  went  to  a  bushy-topped  sapling,  and  looking  up,  cried 
out,  *  O  Jesus,  are  you  up  there?'  then  he  commenced 
barking  up  the  tree  and  saying:  'Brethren,  He's  up  here.* 


540  ALETHAUKION. 

**  The  others  had  now  got  to  the  tree,  and  all  the  brethren 
"barked,  to  brmg  down  the  Lord.  *  There  He  goes,  right 
straight  to  the  altar,'  cried  one  of  the  hunters,  and  away 
they  started  for  the  altar. 

<*When  things  had  gone  on  in  this  way  for  sometime,  one 
of  the  leaders  cried  out,  *Shout!  shout!  we  are  gaining 
ground.'  The  effect  was  electrical.  Some  females  sprang 
to  their  feet  and  began  to  shout.  'Glory  !  glory  !  I  have  got 
religion  !  Glory.' 

"It  was  now  necessary  to  change  the  meeting.  The  gen- 
eral squeeze  and  roll  and  tumble,  which  had  been  so  long 
and  so  energetically  kept  up,  together  with  the  hugging,  in 
which  their  spiritual  affection  liked  so  well  to  indulge,  and 
which  they  seemed  so  much  to  enjoy,  both  men  and  women, 
had  completely  exhausted  the  operators.  Orders  were  then 
issued  to  chans^e  into  a  class-meetinor." 

Such  is  a  description  of  sectarian  public  worship,  from  the 
pen  of  an  eye  witness  ;  and  he  very  justly  observes,  in  con- 
clusion, that,  if  the  scenes  usually  enacted  at  camp-meetings 
were  dramatically  represented,  the  most  bitter  Infidel  could 
not  desire  a  better  burlesque  on  Christianity. 
9    In  our  next  we  treat  of  the  infallibility  of  the  Church. 


CHAPTER  CXXVI. 


CONCERNING   THE    INFALLIBILITY   OF   THE    CHURCH. 

Having  spoken  of  the  indefectibility  of  the  Church  of 
Christ,  we  now  approach  a  yet  more  interesting  and  useful 
question,  viz  :  its  infallibility. 

We  need  not  dihite  upon  the  importance  of  this  subject ; 
for,  it  must  be  clear  to  every  one,  that,  to  prove  the  Church 
of  Christ  infallible,  is  to  deal  a  death  blow  to  heresy. 

As  in  this  and  some  following  papers  our  game  will  be 
lieretics,  and  not  Atheists  nor  Deists,  we  take   for  granted, 


ALETHAURION.  541 

first:  the  existence  of  a  personal  God,  All-A\ise  and  All- 
powerful  ;  and,  in  the  second  place,  we  assume  as  conceded, 
the  fact  that  He  has  revealed  His  will,  or  at  least  a  part  of 
it,  to  man. 

The  Atheist  denies  there  is  a  God  at  all  ;  whilst  the  Deist 
though  accepting  that  great  truth,  yet  refuses  to  admit  that 
the  Supreme  Being  has  ever  revealed  His  will  to  man  in  any 
other  way  than  through  the  material  universe.  The  book 
of  nature  is  the  Bible  of  the  Deist,  and  he  will  not  acknowl- 
edge that  any  other  contains  the  will  of  the  Creator. 

Hence,  takinsr  for  m-anted  that  God  has  mven  to  man  a 
revelation,  we  shall  inquire  whether  such  was  intrusted  to 
private  individuals,  to  be  interpreted  privately,  or  to  some 
public,  everlasting,  and  infallible  society,  divinely  founded 
for  the  purpose  of  preserving  and  explaining  it  to  man- 
kind. 

We  here  speak  exclusively  of  that  revelation  which  is  con- 
tained in  the  Scriptures,  and  in  the  divine  traditions  of  the 
Church.  With  those  other  special  manifestations  of  His 
will,  which  God  has,  from  time  to  time,  made  to  chosen 
souls,  we  have  nothing  to  do  just  now. 

Thus,  e.  g,  we  Catholics  believe,  as  a  fact  of  history,  that 
God  made  known  to  Pope  Pius  V.,  immediately  after  the 
battle,  that  his  fleet  had  gained  a  victory  over  the  Turks.  But 
that  particular  revelation  is  no  part  of  our  Faith,  which 
only  embraces  what  was  revealed  to  the  prophets  and  Apos- 
tles. 

God  is  certainly  no  less  adorable  in  His  special  revelations 
than  in  those  which  form  the  substance  of  our  Faith  ;  yet 
He  does  not  impose  upon  us  the  obligation  of  believing  the 
former,  unless  we  have  a  mind  to,  whereas  the  latter  we  are 
bound  to  accept  or  be  lost  eternally.  **  He  that  believeth 
not  shall  be  condemned."     Mark,  xvi,  16. 

Hence,  if  one  of  the  faithful  should  say  :  I  do  not  believe 
that  God  made  such  a  revelation  to  Pius  V.  ;  I  am  rather 
disposed  to  think   it  was  nothing  more  than  a  mere  dream  ; 


542  AT.ETHAURION. 

his  language,  though  offensive  to  pious  ears,  would  not  be 
heretical . 

But  if  that  man  should  say,  I  do  not  believe  that  angels 
appeared  at  or  near  Bethlehem  on  the  night  the  Saviour  was 
born,  he  would  be  guilty  of  heresy,  and  as  deserving  the 
name  of  heretic,  as  Luther.  Why?  Because  he  impiously 
assumes  the  right  to  discriminate  in  matters  that  he  should 
wholly  accept,  in  as  much  as  a  part  of  the  deposit  of  Faith. 

The  reader  will  gather  from  this,  that  by  revelation,  we 
do  not  here  understand  everything  that  God  has  made  known 
to  men,  either  naturally  or  supernaturally,  but  only  what  he 
revealed  to  the  Prophets  and  Apostles. 

The  conservation  and  propagation  of  the  truths  contained 
in  this  we  maintain  have  been  entrusted  to  a  divinely  consti- 
tuted infallible  authority,  for  the  following  reasons': 

Firsts  without  such  an  eternal,  public  and  infallible  au- 
thority we  could  never  be  absolutely  certain  regarding  the 
identity  of  the  revelation  itself.  There  would  always  be 
room  for  doubt  as  to  whether  the  Scriptures  we  now  possess 
contain  exactly  w^hat  the  Prophets  and  Apostles  wrote. 

A  word  or  two  left  out  of  a  sentence  will  often  chanofe  its 
meaning,  and  the  addition  of  a  single  letter,  in  some  cases, 
could  give  a  passage  in  the  original  Greek  or  Hebrew  a  dif- 
ferent signification  from  what  the  author  intended. 

Nor  would  it  be  .-possible  to  refer  to  the  apostolic  manu- 
scripts, for  it  is  conceded  that  they  no  longer  exist.  Consult 
Cellerier  :  (Essai  d'une  introduction  critique  au  Kouveau 
Testament,  Sec.  Hi.) 

If  you  ask  a  Protestant  to  tell  you  how  he  knows  that  the 
epistle  of  St.  Paul  to  the  Romans  is  what  the  Apostle  wrote, 
he  will  never  give  you  a  straight  answer,  simply  because  he 
cannot  without  committing  himself  to  the  doctrine  of  an  in- 
fallible livins:  authority. 

If  you  ask  a  Catholic  the  same  question,  he  will  answer 
you  at  once  :  I  know  that  the  epistle  to  the  Romans  is  the 


ALETHAURION.  543 

genuiue  work  of  St.  Paul,  and  thiit,  substantiulh  ,  it  con- 
tains nothing  more  nor  less  than  what  ho  wrote,  because  the 
Church  is  voucher  for  its  authenticity  and  integrity.  She 
has  preserved  that  and  other  portions  of  Scripture,  just  as  an 
orator  keeps  the  manuscript  notes  of  his  speeches.  Slie 
knows  the  hand-writing  of  all  her  children,  and  no  forgery 
can  pass  current  within  her  domain. 

The  Protestant  who  does  not  admit  the  existence  of  an  in- 
fallible authority  having  guardianship  over  the  Scriptures, 
cannot  have  even  the  same  certitude  regarding  their  purity 
that  one  may  have  of  that  of  the  Eneid,  or  of  the  Iliad  ;  for  not 
one  man  in  a  million  could  have  successfully  interpolated 
either  of  them,  on  account  of  the  style  and  subject  matter, 
whereas  with  our  Scriptures  the  case  is  altogether  different. 

To  garble  and  interpolate  would,  absolutely  speaking,  have 
been  the  easiest  feat  imaginable.  And,  considering  the  num- 
ber of  discordant  sects,  existing  in  primitive  times,  it  will 
readily  be  understood  that  motives  for  making  essential 
changes  could  not  have  been  wanting. 

Were  it  not  for  the  authority  of  the  Catholic  Church,  the 
New  Testament  would,  of  all  the  books  that  have  come  down 
to  us  from  ancient  times,  be  the  most  open  to  suspicion. 

Second :  Even  though  it  should  be  granted  that,  by  a  spec- 
ial providence,  the  Scriptures  had  been  kept  pure  up  to  our 
day,  the  fact  that  many  passages  are  obscure  implies  the 
necessity  of  an  authority  to  decide  what  is  the  true  sense. 

For  a  man  to  say  that  the  Scriptures  are  so  plain  that  any 
one  can,  by  private  interpretation,  easily  divine  their  mean- 
ing, is  to  assert  what  the  experience  of  ages  contradicts. 

The  existence  at  this  moment  of  scores  of  sects  acknowl- 
edging, on  the  one  hand,  the  authenticity,  integrity,  and  in- 
spiration of  the  Scriptures,  and  on  the  other,  warring  about 
the  meaning  of  numberless  passages,  knocks  that  theory 
higher  than  Donaldson's  balloon.  It  does  not  deserve  a 
;  serious  answer. 

The  revelation  of  GrOD,  to  become  known  to  us,  must  be 


544  ALETHAURION. 

expressed  in  words  ;  and  since  words  are  often  ambiguous, 
what  would  be  the  use  of  u  revelation  unless  there  be  at  the 
same  time  some  infallible  authority  to  define  the  exact  mean- 
ing of  the  words  in  which  it  is  expressed? 

At  the  capital  of  this  State,  laws  are  made  for  the  govern- 
ment of  our  people  in  temporal  matters.  They  are  worded 
as  plainly  as  possible;  for  our  legislators  do  not  wish  that 
we  should  be  eternally  at  litigation  with  the  Commonwealth 
and  with  one  another  ;  yet,  the  interpretation  of  those  laws 
is  not  left  to  each  individual  citizen. 

We  have  judges  to  whom  that  business  belongs,  and  whose 
decisions  are  enforced  by  all  the  power  at  the  command  of 
the  chief  executive.  What  a  glorious  example  of  anarchy 
we  would  have  if  each  citizen  were  to  take  the  statutes  and 
interpret  for  himself  !  And  yet  that  is  precisely  the  doctrine 
held  and  taught  by  sectarians,  in  a  matter,  too,  of  far  great- 
er importance. 

Third :  The  revelation  of  God  has  been  given  not  alone 
for  the  benefit  of  those  that  lived  in  times  past,  or  may  be  now 
living,  but  likewise  for  the  good  of  all  who  are  to  be  until 
the  end  of  time. 

Now,  even  though  we  should  grant  that  at  this  very  mo- 
ment the  Scriptures  be  pure,  setting  aside  the  authority  of 
the  Church,  what  guarantee  can  we  possibly  have  that  peo- 
ple living  within  the  next  five  thousand  years  will  let  them 
remain  so. 

Take  the  Scriptures  from  the  guardianship  of  that  infalli- 
ble authority  we  speak  of,  and  in  a  thousand  years  from 
now,  not  a  man  living  Avould  be  able  to  tell  what  was  or  what 
was  not  a  revelation.  The  manuscript  codes  that  still  exist 
will  not  last  always,  and  we  know  how  quickly  the  moths 
make  away  with  paper  books. 

Again  :  Suppose  in  the  first  place,  that  we  do  away  with 
the  idea  of  an  external,  infallible  authority  having  charge  of 
the  Scriptures,  and,  in  the  second,  that  some  man  now  living 
should  take  the  ^ew  Testament,  and,  after  having  garbled 


ALETHAURION.  545 

and  interpolated  the  text,  should  take  the  pains  to  have  his 
work  engraved  on  tablets  of  silver  or  brass,  and  hidden  in  a 
cave. 

Suppose,  in  the  third  place,  that,  after  the  lapse  of  ^ve 
thousand  years,  those  tablets  were  discovered  ;  on  Protest- 
ant principles,  how  would  it  be  possible  to  prove  that  they 
were  forgeries? 

After  the  lapse  of  the  period  spoken  of,  the  arguments  in 
favor  of  their  authenticity  would  be  stronger  than  those  in 
favor  of  any  copy  that  might  be  then  extant;  for  it  would 
certainly  be  more  ancient,  l)y  many  hundreds  of  years,  than 
any  other  public  monument. 

Or,  to  put  the  same  idea  in  another  form,  suppose  some 
antiquarian  whilst  making  excavations  amidst  the  ruins  of 
Ephesus,  should  discover  a  number  of  brazen  plates,  con- 
taining St.  Paul's  epistleto  the  Ephesians,  but  different,  as 
to  sense,  from  that  we  now  possess  ;  how  would  it  be  possi- 
ble, without  a  living  infallible  authority,  to  decide  whether 
it  or  ours  be  what  St.  Paul  wrote  ? 

It  would  be  impossible  to  decide  absolutely.  But  the  prob- 
abilities would  be  mostly  on  the  side  of  that  found  in  the 
ruins. 

In  oui*  next  we  will  take  up  and  discuss  some  objections 
that  may  be  brought  against  what  has  thus  far  been  said. 


CHAPTER  CXXVII. 


SO^fE  OBJECTIONS  AGAINST  THE  DOCTRTXE  SET  FORTH  IN  LAST 
NUMBER,  VIZ  :  THAT  THE  REVELATION  OF  GOD  HAS  BEEN 
INTRUSTED  NOT  TO  INDIVIDUALS  BUT  TO  A  PUBLIC  INFAL- 
LIBLE  AUTHORITY. 

It  may  be  objected  against  the  Catholic  doctrine  of  an  in- 
fallible public  authority  here  on  earth,  that,  from  the  time 


546  ALETHAURION. 

of  Adam  to  that  of  the  Saviour,  there  was  nothing  of  the  kind 
to  be  found  amongst  men. 

And,  if  not  essential  during  that  long  period  of  4004  years, 
why  should  it  be  needed  now?  If  the  patriarch,  that  lived 
before  tho  time  of  Abraham,  and  the  Jews  that  lived  after, 
could  climb  into  heaven  without  an  infallible  synagogue, 
what  can  prevent  Christians  from  gaining  the  same  end  with- 
out an  infallible  Church  ? 

This  objection  is  certainly  a  very  captious  one  ;  but  it  lacks 
solidity.  It  is  founded  on  the  assumption  that  Christ  either 
could  not  or  would  not  establish  a  more  perfect  way  than 
had  been  in  existence  before  his  time. 

Now,  the  ancient  prophecies  bear  testimony  to  the  contrary. 
IsAiAS,  speaking  of  the  times  of  the  future  Messiah,  says  : 

And  a  path  and  a  way  shall  be  there ;  and  it  shall  be  called  the  holy- 
way  ;  the  unclean  shall  not  pass  over  it ;  and  this  shall  be  unto  you  a 
straight  way,  so  that  fools  shall  not  err  therein." — Isaias,  xxxv,  8. 

What  else  can  this  mean  but  an  infallible  Church,  within 
which  not  even  a  fool  can  miss  his  way  to  heaven? 

Christ,  in  his  character  of  Sou  of  God,  had  the  ri<rht  to 
inagurate  the  new  element  of  infallibility,  and  make  it  a  pre- 
rosrative  of  his  Church,  even  thouirh  the  svnao^oorue  had  it  iK>t. 

Moreover,  in  so  far  as  it  is  granted  to  us  to  see  into  the 
•designs  of  the  Almighty,  we  may  assign  reasons  to  show  it 
was  not  expedient  that  there  should  have  been  organized  be- 
fore the  Messianic  period,  a  society  infallible  in  the  sense 
that  the  Church  is.  For  at  no  time,  before  the  coming  of 
Christ,  was  revelation  complete ;  it  was  yet  in  a  state  of 
formation. 

And,  as  the  jeweler  does  not  suffer  a  watch  to  be  taken 
from  his  work-shop,  until  every  wheel  and  spring  is  in  its 
place  and  the  instrument  in  running  order,  so  God  had  direct 
care  of  his  revelation,  until  in  the  fullness  of  time,  through 
his  Divine  Son,  he  perfected  it ;  and  then  only  was  it  givei\ 
over  to  the  guardianship  of  the  Church,  to  receive  no  further 
augmentation. 


ALETHAURION.  547 

*'But  though  we,"  says  St.  Paul,  or  an  angel  from  heaven  preached  a 
gospel  to  you  besides  that  which  we  have  preached  to  you,  let  him  be 
anathema." — Gal.  i,8. 

For  present  convenience  we  may  divide  the  period  before 
the  Saviour's  advent  into  two  epochs.  The  one  embracing: 
all  those  centuries  from  the  fall  of  Adam  to  the  time  of 
Moses  :  the  other  from  the  promulgation  of  the  law  on  Mount 
Sinai  to  the  commencement  of  the  Saviour's  public  career. 

During  the  first  of  these,  revelation  included  only  a  very 
few  of  the  truths  of  religion,  such  as  the  belief  in  one  God  ; 
the  belief  in  a  future  Redeemer,  and  in  the  doctrine  of  re- 
wards and  punishments  in  the  next  life. 

St.  Paul,  (Heb,  xi.  (j,)  sums  up  in  a  few  words  all  that  was 
necessary  for  belief  in  those  patriarchal  times  : 

*' Without  faith,"  he  says,  ''it  is  hnpossible  to  please  God.  For  he  that 
cometh  to  God  must  believe  that  He  is,  and  is  a  rewarder  of  them  that 
seek  Him." 

These  few  primary  truths  could  easily  have  been  trans- 
mitted by  oral  tradition  from  father  to  son.  And  the  fact 
that  they  were  so  few  and  so  clean  cut,  made  it  unnecessary 
that  there  should  have  been  establised  at  that  time  a  public 
infallible  society  charged  with  their  conservation  and  pro- 
pagation. 

Moreover,  it  is  not  strictly  correct  to  say  that  God  left  his 
revelation  entirely  to  the  chances  of  a  simple  oral  tradition 
before  the  time  of  Moses. 

For,  as  in  our  day,  he  guards  its  purity  by  the  Church, 
Tvbich  is  the  ordinary  means,  so,  in  patriarchal  times,  he  in- 
sured the  same  result  through  the  ministry  of  angels  sent  to 
encouraire  those  who  believed  in  Hi5  name,  and  to  confirm 
them  in  the  truth  of  all  that  had  come  down  by  tradition 
from  Adam. 

It  must  also  be  observed  that,  before  the  time  of  Moses, 
there  were  not,  as  far  as  we  know,  any  inspired  writings 
needing  a  guardian  to  preserve  their  integrity  and  puritv. 
Hence  the  parallel  between  the  patriarchal  and  Messianic  pe- 
riods is  unjust  and  calculated  to  deceive. 


k: 


548  ALETHAURION. 

Let  us  now  briefly  consider  the  second  epoch,  viz  :  from 
the  promulgation  of  the  hiw  on  Mount  Sinai  to  the  beginning 
of  the  Saviour's  public  career. 

It  is  true  that  during  that  long  period,  of  about  fifteen  hun- 
dred years,  there  was  no  permanent  infallible  authority,  such 
as  we  now  have  in  the  Catholic  Church  ;  yet,  there  was  even 
then  an  institution,  viz  :  the  Aaronic  priesthood,  which  ful- 
filled a  duty  with  respect  to  the  inspired  writings  analogous 
to  that  which  the  Church  now  performs.  Nor  did  this  pub- 
lic authority  ever  cease  to  exist  until  the  kingdom  of  the 
Messiah  had  been  fairly  established. 

JosEPHUS  Flavius,  the  renowned  Jewish  historian  and  war- 
rior, gives  us  a  list,  in  an  uninterrupted  series,  of  all  the  high 
priests  from  Aaron,  to  Annas  and  Caiphas,  under  whom 
the  Saviour  was  put  to  death  ;  and  thence  to  John  Giscala^ 
who  was  the  last  in  the  list  of  Aaron's  line,  during  whose 
term  of  office  Jerusalem  was  taken  and  sacked  by  the  Romans. 

It  may  interest  the  reader  that  we  give  here  the  number 
of  high  priests,  corresponding  to  the  different  epochs  in  Jew- 
ish history,  from  the  time  of  Aaron  to  the  final  destruction 
of  the  temple.     It  is  as  follows  : 

From  Aaron  to  King  Solomon,  a  period  of  612  years,  13 
high  priests  ;  from  Solomon  to  the  Babylonian  captivity,  46 G 
years,  18  high  priests  ;  from  the  Babylonian  captivity  to  An- 
TiocHUS  EuPATOR,  412  years,  15  high  priests  ;  from  Antio- 
CHUS  to  Herod  II,  113  years,  15  high  priests  ;  from  Herod 
to  Titus,  107  years,  28  high  priests.  Altogether,  89  high 
priests  in  a  period  of  1»710  years.     Antiquities,  xx,  10. 

Thus  it  will  be  observed  that,  from  the  time  of  Moses  to 
that  of  the  Saviour,  there  was  a  public  authority  amongst 
the  Jews  ;  which  same,  as  we  are  informed  by  the  Spanish 
Jew,  Salvador,  was  established  for  the  purpose  of  preserv- 
ing the  Law  and  keeping  it  free  from  error.  Hist,  of  the 
Institutions  of  Moses,  II  book. 

But,  though  the  Synagogue  fulfilled  a  very  important  duty 
before  the  Saviour's  coming,  yet  was  not  infallible,  in  the 


ALETHAURION.  549 

strict  sense  ;  for  its  authority  had  to  be  complemented  by  a 
succession  of  prophets. 

The  hitter  were  sent  immediately  by  God,  and  had  their 
authority  to  act  the  part  of  reformers  from  Ilim,  and  not 
from  the  Synagogue.  If  the  Synagogue  had  been  a  perfect, 
self-sufficient  society,  such  as  the  Church  now  is,  the  Jews 
would  have  been  excusable  for  not  having  given  ear  to  the 
teachings  of  the  Saviour. 

But  the  Jewish  people  never  regarded  the  Synagogue  in 
the  same  light  that  we  Catholics  do  the  Church.  When  a 
controversy  of  any  magnitude  arose,  they  looked  to  the  au- 
thority of  a  prophet. 

Hence,  Josephus  Flavius,  (Cont.  Apion.  i,  8,)  speaking 

of  those  books,  recognized  as  inspired  by  the  Jews,  uses  the 

following  words : 

"We  have  not  an  inumerable  multitude  of  books  among  us,  disagreeing 
from  and  contradicting  one  another,  as  the  Greeks  have,  but  only  twenty- 
two  books  which  contain  the  records  of  all  the  past  times ;  which  are 
justly  believed  to  be  divine;  and  of  them  tive  belong  to  Moses,  which 
contain  his  laws  and  the  traditions  of  the  origin  of  mankind  till  his  death. 
This  interval  of  time  was  little  short  of  three  thousand  years ;  but  as  to  the 
time  from  the  death  of  Moses  till  the  reign  of  Artaxerxes,  King  of  Per- 
sia, who  reigned  after  Xerxes  ;  the  prophets  who  were  after  Moses, 
wrote  down  what  was  done  in  their  times  in  thirteen  books.  The  remain- 
ing four  books  contain  hymns  to  God,  and  precepts  for  the  conluct  of  hu- 
man life.  It  is  true,  our  history  has  been  written  since  Artaxerxes, 
very  particularly,  but  hath  not  been  esteemed  of  the  like  authority  with 
the  former  by  our  forefathers,  because  there  hath  not  been  an  exact  suc- 
cession of  the  prophets  since  that  time. 

The  histories  here  spoken  of  by  Josephus  as  having  been 
written  after  the  time  of  Artaxerxes,  constitute  what  are 
now  called  the  deutro-canonical  books  of  the  Old  Testament. 

The  Synagogue  had  not  the  authority  to  pronounce  upon 
their  inspiration  ;  but  the  Church  of  Christ,  which  is  a 
prophet  continuously  abiding  with  us,  failed  not  to  do  so  ages 
ago  ;  so  that  we  now  regard  them  with  the  same  veneration 
that  we  do  the  proto-canonical  books. 

Now,  some  one  may  say :     Well,  that  theory  of  an  oral 


550  ALETHAURION. 

tradition,  from  the  time  of  Adam  to  that  of  Moses,  supple- 
mented by  angel  visits  ;  and  of  a  public  authority  from  the 
days  of  Moses  to  those  of  Christ,  kept  from  going  wrong 
b}^  a  succession  of  prophets,  looks  reasonable  enough  at  a 
distance  and  in  the  abstract ;  but  if  examined  closely  it  will 
not  stand  the  test. 

Take,  for  example,  that  period  of  time  that  elapsed  from 
the  death  of  prophet  Malachy  to  the  days  of  the  Messiah, 
in  all,  about  four  hundred  years  ;  what  public  infallible  au- 
thority was  there  amongst  the  Jews  during  that  time? 

Furthermore  :  In  what  did  the  Synagogue,  during  those 
four  hundred  years,  differ  from  any  Protestant  church  at  the 
present  day  ? 

We  may  reply  to  each  of  these  questions  as  follows  : 

First :  We  admit  that  the  Synagogue  was  not  infallible  in 
se ;  but,  we  maintain  that  God,  as  occasion  required,  made 
up  for  the  deficiency  by  extraordinary  means. 

The  fact  that  no  prophet  appeared  in  Israel  from  the  days 
of  Malachy  to  those  of  Christ  is  of  itself  a  proof  that  none 
was  necessary.  It  is  one  thing  to  say  that  the  Synagogue 
was  infallible,  and  quite  a  different  proposition  to  assert  that 
it  actually  erred  and  led  the  people  astray  during  that  period. 

In  the  light  of  what  the  Saviour  himself  said  of  the  chair 
of  Moses  (Matt,  xxiii,  23,)  no  one  can  safely  affirm  that  the 
Synagogue  had  gone  wrong  up  to  the  time  those  words  were 
spoken. 

If  it  afterwards  denied  Christ  it  was  not  until  He,  by  His 
mighty  works,  had  clearly  established  His  right  to  be  regarded 
as  a  prophet ;  and  there  was  not  a  Jew  from  Dan  to  Beer- 
seba  but  knew  that  the  authority  of  a  prophet  was  greater 
than  that  of  the  Synagogue. 

Second:  What  difference  between  the  Synagogue,  from 
the  death  of  the  prophet  Malachy  to  the  birth  of  Christ, 
and  one  of  our  Protestant  churches? 

Answer  :  The  former  genuine,  the  latter  counterfit.  The 
Aaronic   priesthood   was   a    divine  institution ;   Protestant 


ALETHAURION.  551 

churches  are,  to  say  the  least,  of  human  origin.  The  Syna- 
gogue received  directions,  when  such  was  required,  from 
prophets  sent  of  God  ;  Protestant  churches  have  not  the 
promise  of  any  such  assistance.  Judaism  was  a  preparation 
for  the  kingdom  of  the  Messiah  ;  the  stairway  leading  up  to 
the  church  door  ;  heresy  is  a  rebellion  airainst  that  kingdom  ; 
a  pitfall  to  the  rear  of  the  church  of  God. 

In  our  next  we  will  show  that  the  Church  of  Chkist  is  the 
custodian  of  revelation. 


CHAPTER  CXXVin. 


THE     CTirRCH    OF    CHRIST    IS    THE  IXFALLIBLE  AUTHORITY  TO 

WHOSE  GUARDIANSHIP  THE  REVELATION  OF  GOD   HAS 

BEEN  INTRUSTED. 

By  the  word  Church,  as  used  here,  we  do  not  mean  the 
entire  assembly  of  the  faithful,  but  rather  the  universal 
episcopate  or  body  of  pastors,  taken  with  the  Roman 
pontiff. 

Now,  the  Apostles  who,  in  common  with  Peter,  their 
/lead,  were  the  first  bishops  of  the  Church  received  immedi- 
ately from  Christ  and  the  Holy  Ghost,  the  fulness  of  Reve- 
lation. In  proof  of  this,  it  will  only  be  necessary  to  call 
attention  to  a  few  passages  in  the  New  Testament,  which  we 
here  use  simply  as  a  history,  prescinding  from  its  inspired 
character. 

"Go  ye  therefore,"  said  Christ  to  those  flrst  bishops,  *'and  teach  all 
nations;  baptizing  them  in  tlie  name  of  the  Father,  and  of  the  Son,  and 
of  tlie  Holy  Ghost:  Teacliin*;  tlicm  to  observe  all  things  whatsoever  I 
have  oommanded  you ;  and  behold  I  am  with  you  teaching  and  baptizing^ 
all  days  even  to  the  consummation  of  the  world.'* — Matt.  xx\-iii,  10-20. 

Again  he  says : 

*'I  will  ask  the  Father,  and  He  shall  give  you  another  Paraclete,  that 
He  may  abide  with  you  forever.  Tlie  Spirit  of  truth  ....  shall 
abide  with  you,  and  shall  be  in  you.*'— John  xiv,  lC-17. 


552  ALETH  AUPvION . 

"Wlien  the  Spirit  of  truth  shall  come  He  will  teach  you  all  truth." — 
John  xvi,  13. 

"As  the  father  hath  sent  me  so  also  I  send  you." — John  xx,  21. 

From  these  and  similar  texts,  that  might  easily  be  adduced, 
three  conclusions  follow  clearly  and  naturally. 

The  first  is,  that  Christ  entrusted  the  revelation  that  He 
had  from  the  Father  to  the  Apostles.  And  they,  with 
Peter  at  their  head,  constituted  the  Church  of  Christ,  or  at 
least  its  teaching  part.  Taken  as  a  society,  they  were  infal- 
lible, which  no  sectarian  will  deny. 

Secondly:  It  follows  that  the  society  or  organization  of 
which  the  Apostles  were  the  first  members,  the  incorpora- 
tors, so  to  speak,  was  not  to  end  with  them,  but  was  to  con- 
tinue in  the  world,  orainino:  new  members  and  installing  new 
oflicers,  according  as  the  society  extended,  or  as  the  old  were 
called  away  by  death. 

Thirdly:  It  follows  that  this  society  cannot  at  any  time 
err  nor  lead  men  astray,  for  Christ  promised  to  remain  with 
it  forever. 

That  the  Church  of  Christ  is  constituted  the  guardian  of 

whatever  has  been   revealed,  is  furthermore  evident  from 

what  we  read  in  Matt,  xviii : 

"If  thy  brother  shall  offend  thee,"  says  the  Saviour,  "go  and  reprove 
him  between  thee  and  him  alone.  If  he  shall  here  thee,  thou  slialt  gain 
thy  brother.  But  if  he  will  not  hear  thee,  take  with  thee  one  or  two 
more,  that  in  the  mouth  of  two  or  three  witnesses  every  word  may  stand. 
And  if  he  will  not  hear  them,  tell  the  Church.  And  if  he  will  not  hear 
the  Church,  let  him  be  to  thee  as  the  heathen  and  the  publican." 

Sectarians  maintain  that  everything  revealed  by  God,  as 
binding  upon  man,  is  contained  in  the  Bible.  We  also  hold 
that,  indeed,  no  small  portion  of  what  He  wishes  us  to  know 
and  believe,  in  order  to  be  saved,  is  to  be  found  either  ex- 
pressly or  implicitly  in  the  same  volume. 

But,  instead  of  saying  as  do  the  sectarians,  that  God  has 
intrusted  His  revelation  to  a  book,  we  maintain  that  it  has 
t>een  given  over  to  the  care  of  a  living  and  everlasting 
Society  or  Church. 


ALETHAURION.  553 

To  illustrate  this  point  more  fully,  let  us  take  that  case 
which  occurred  down  at  Maple  Grove,  some  time  ago. 

A  member  of  the  Church  there,  after  having  read  his 
Bible  over  carefully,  came  to  the  conclusion  that  the  doctrine 
of  seven  sacraments  is  clearly  taught  therein,  and  made  no 
secret  of  his  change  in  belief. 

His  neighbor  and  co-religionist  came  to  him,  and,  said  he, 
<'you  must  abandon  such  a  doctrine,  for  you  ought  to  know 
that  our  Church  holds  those  views  to  be  false  and  un- 
ficriptural." 

**I  have  made  up  my  mind,  and  am  satisfied  that  our 
Church  is  wrong  on  that  point,''  said  the  other. 

Then  the  neighbor  went  off  and  got  two  or  three  of  his 
friends,  who  came  with  him  to  expostulate  with  the  erring 
brother.  They  found  him  still  obdurate,  and  the  only  course 
open  to  them,  was  to  tell  the  Church. 

The  minister  was  accordingly  notified,  and  requested  to 
call  a  meeting  of  that  body  at  an  appointed  hour  on  a  cer- 
tain day.  The  erring  brother  was  also  summoned  to  appear 
befoie  his  judges,  be  duly  tried  and  condemned. 

The  following  description  of  the  proceedings  may  mterest 
the  reader,  and  we  accordingly  insert  it  here  for  future 
reference : 

**The  Elders  occupied  chairs  in  front  of  the  pulpit,  and  the 
rank  and  file  were  distributed  in  knots  all  through  the 
Church  ;  some  impressed  with  the  importance  of  the  matter 
in  hand,  and  others  apparently  indifferent.  The  minister 
next  called  the  house  to  order,  and  announced  that  business 
would  begin  forthwith. 

**One  of  the  elders,  a  venerable  and  patriarchal  looking 
man,  with  an  abundance  of  silvery  hair  floating  over 
his  shoulders,  next  arose  in  the  assembly  and  spoke  as 
follows : 

**My  beloved  friends  and  brethren — for  sixty  years  save 
one,  have   I  marked   the   downward   course   of  the   forest 


554  ALETHAURION. 

leaves,  and  seen  these  hills  clothed  in  snow,  since  T,  with 
fourteen  others,  first  organized  this  Church. 

'*0f  that  little  band,  I  alone  survive  to  see  this  day — the 
rest  have  gone  to  sleep  beneath  the  sod  ;  and  their  spirits- 
have  been  wafted  to  that  shore  where  dissension  and  sorrow 
are  unknown.  They  have  gone  to  receive  the  reward  of 
th'eir  earthly  labors  ;  to  rest  forever  under  the  shade  of  the 
tree  of  life,  and  quench  their  thirst  for  truth  at  the  eternal 
fountain . 

* 'For  many  years  our  numbers  were  few  and  scattered; 
our  way  beset  with  countless  difficulties  ;  and  the  good  Lord, 
in  order  to  try  our  patience  and  perseverance,  appeared  to 
have  hidden  His  face  from  us  for  a  season.  But  our  con- 
cord and  brotherly  love  impressed  the  unbeliever,  and  some 
who  came  on  the  Sabbath  to  scoff,  remained  here  to  inquire 
what  they  should  do  to  be  saved. 

*'Our  numbers  increased  steadily,  and  the  trials  of  those 
early  days  are  now  almost  forgotten,  or  mingled  in  my 
thoughts  with  other  dreams  of  the  long  ago.  Many  eloquent 
men  have  stood  in  this  pulpit ;  and  oftentimes  has  my  heart 
swelled  with  thanksgiving  and  gone  out  in  silent  worship  to 
the  author  of  all  good,  for  having  vouchsafed  to  us  His 
glorious  gospel. 

**More  than  once  have  we  listened  to  the  exhortations  of 
our  now  dissenting  brother,  for  so  I  call  him  still,  and  each 
time  that  he  mounted  these  steps  to  open  that  holy 
book,  it  seemed  to  me  as  if  the  current  of  my  life  had  been 
reversed. 

**The  looks,  the  action, and  the  voice  of  a  father,  the  friend 
and  companion  of  my  youth,  whom  I  loved,  came  before  me- 
once  more  in  the  son.  Eight  years  ago  to-day,  we  laid  him, 
with  tears  in  our  eyes,  under  the  shade  of  yonder  willow. 
And,  if  his  spirit  could  know  what  sadness  is,  up  there,  how 
sad  it  feels  now,  looking  down  on  us,  and  knowing  the  cause 
of  our  coming. 


ALETHAURION.  555 

♦»IIe  wMs  a  man  over  true  to  his  convictions,  and  hence 
true  to  otliors.  lie  aided  to  build  up  this  Church,  and  its 
growth  aud  prosperity  was  the  object  nearest  to  his  heart. 
Schism  was  odious  in  his  eyes,  and  he  avoided  the  conten- 
tious as  he  would  a  leper. 

**Could  it  ever  have  entered  his  mind  whilst  in  life,  that 
his  own  son  would  put  his  hand  to  the  work  of  destroying 
what  he  had  built — to  undoing  what  he  had  done?  No, 
never ! 

**But  why  do  I  dwell  on  these  unpleasant  thoughts? 
The  shadow  of  the  tomb  has  lengthened  across  my  pathway, 
my  days  arc  almost  numbered,  my  sun  of  life  approaches 
the  horizon  and  will  soon  sink  into  the  ocean  of  eternity. 
This,  my  nearness  to  the  end,  is  what  urges  me  now  to  ful- 
fill yet  one  more  duty  ere  I  am  called  away. 

**  'Let  me  exhort  you  then  dear  brother,  to  reconsider  your 
acts  ;  to  avoid  novelties  in  religion  ;  to  continue  still  a  faith- 
ful son  of  the  Church.  Walk  in  the  path  that  your  father 
trod.  And,  by  the  veneration  you  owe  his  memory  ;  by  the 
love  you  bear  your  own  children  ;  by  the  good  example  that 
you,  as  a  Christian  man,  are  bound  to  set  them.  I  now 
adjure  you  not  to  force  upon  us  the  necessity  of  cutting  you 
off,  as  a  rotten  branch  from  this  Church,  of  which,  by  your 
ancestry  and  by  your  education,  you  should  be  a  living 
member  and  a  shining  light.     I  have  done.' 

* 'Others  next  arose  in  order,  and  spoke  in  the  same  strain. 
Brother  Smith  was  of  opinion  that  excommunication  from 
the  Church  would  work  disadvantageously  from  a  business 
point  of  view. 

''Brother  Bkowx  thought  that  the  social  ostracism,  which 
would  result  from  such  an  act,  would  be  worse  than 
death. 

"Brother  tToxES  declared  the  doctrine  of  seven  sacraments 
to  be  nothing  more  nor  less  than  rank  popery. 

"The  dissenting  brother  was  then  called  upon,  and  he 
spoke  as  follows : 


^56  ALETHAURION. 

**  *I  willingly  confess,  my  friends,  that  nev/i  beJcore  in 
my  life  have  I  experienced  within  my  breast,  so  umny  con- 
tending emotions.  The  memories  of  early  youth,  the 
friendships  contracted  in  more  advanced  years,  and  the 
ties  of  blood  and  kindred  are  bonds  that  ought  not  to  be 
severed. 

"  'And,  so  far  as  I  am  concerned,  they  will  not  be,  for 
I  wish  them  to  remain  whilst  this  life  shall  last,  to  be 
strengthened  and  made  more  perfect  in  that  beyond  the 
tomb.  Were  I  called  upon  to  address  an  ordinary  assembly 
upon  a  topic,  that  did  not  so  closely  concern  the  finer  feel- 
ings of  our  nature,  I  would  have  no  misgivings,  I  would 
answer  arguments  with  arguments,  and  threats  with  defi- 
ance. 

**  *But,  after  having  listened  to  the  pathetic  words  and 
touching  allusions  of  my  venerable  friend'who  first  claimed 
your  attention  this  evening,  my  heart  was  moved,  and  I  felt 
the  magnetism  of  a  long  cherished  friendship  drawing  me 
back  to  where  reason  and  conscience  bade  me  not  to  stay. 
Yet  I  will  say,  that  if  the  eloquence  of  man  could  render 
ineffective  what  I  regard  as  an  inspiration  from  above,  his 
would  have  done  so. 

*'  'But  this  is  not  the  question.  You  have  assembled  here 
to  try  me  for  the  crime  of  heresy,  and  I  have  come  to  pre- 
sent such  reasons  for  my  course  as  seem  to  me  best. 

"  'If  the  cradle  and  the  coffin  constituted  the  terms  of 
human  existence,  and  if  man  were  not  responsible  to  a 
higher  power  for  the  use  or  abuse  of  every  light  given  him 
in  this  life,  then  indeed  this  present  complication  would  not 
have  arisen. 

"  'I  would  have  agreed  with  you  fn  belief,  or  suppressed, 
for  the  sake  of  peace  and  friendship,  each  dissent  of  mind 
that  might  lead  to  discord.  I  would  go  peaceably  Avith  the 
current,  and  still  continue  for  the  future,  as  for  the 
past,  to  enjoy  the  pleasure  of  your  society,  friendship  and 
confidence. 


ALETHAURION.  557 

**  'But  I  am  convinced  that  there  is  a  being  of  infinite 
power  who  directs  the  universe,  and  has  made  man  a  free 
and  responsible  agent.  I  am  satisfied  that  of  old,  lie  re- 
vealed His  will  to  the  patriarchs  and  prophets,  and,  in  later 
times,  finished  and  perfected  that  same  revelation  throuirh 
His  Divine  Son.  I  am  persuaded  that  the  system  of  religion 
introduced  by  Christ,  is  not  a  vague,  but  a  most  definite 
one.  For  otherwise,  how  could  he  have  made  the  accepta- 
tion of  it  a  condition  necessary  for  salvation?  He  that 
believeth  not  shall  be  condemned.     Mark  xvi,  16. 

**  *In  a  word,  I  am  convinced  that  there  is  here  on  earth, 
a  living  authority,  with  power  to  not  only  propagate  and 
keep  pure,  but  also  to  define  exactly  each  point  of  faith. 
In  my  youth,  I  was  taught  to  believe  as  you  now  do  ;  that 
the  Scriptures  and  private  interpretation  were  to  be  my 
rule.  ' 

**  *But,  as  time  passed  on,  thoughts  presented  themselves 
to  my  mind  that  would  not  let  me  rest.  I  found  men  of 
other  denominations  who  professed  to  be  guided  by  that 
same  principle,  differing  with  me  in  regard  to  many  essential 
matters. 

**  *This  led  me  to  question  the  truth  of  lessons  learned  in 
early  life,  and  I  set  diligently  to  work  and  studied  the  Scrip- 
tures more  thoroughly  than  I  had  ever  done  before.  With 
each  step  that  I  took,  scales  dropped  from  my  eyes,  and  I 
befran  to  see  thin^rs  in  a  new  lifjht. 

''  'I  learned  from  those  Scriptures,  that  Christ  founded 
a  Church.  *Thou  art  Peter,'  said  He,  *and  upon  this  rock 
I  will  build  my  Church.'     Matt,  xvi,  18. 

**  'I  next  inquired  whether  that  to  which  I  belonged,  was 
the  Church  which  Christ  established  ;  and  here  the  result 
of  my  studies  was  not  favorable  to  my  preconceived  notions. 
I  could  not  trace  mine,  as  a  visible  organization,  further 
back  than  about  three  hundred  years  ;  whereas,  that  which 
Christ  founded  was  evidently  much  older. 


558  ALETHAURION. 

**Yet,  with  all  this,  I  tried  to  smother  my  doubts,  consol- 
ing myself  with  the  thought  that  the  Church  to  which  I  be- 
longed believed,  and  practiced  what  the  Saviour  taught. 
But,  upon  closer  investigation,  I  w^as  doomed  again  to  disap- 
pointment. I  found  that  the  Scriptures  commanded  me  to 
hear  the  Church,  Matt,  xviii,  though  mine  disclaimed  any 
power  to  speak  with  authority  on  a  point  of  belief. 

'* Studying  this  evident  contradiction,  I  began  to  suspect 
more  and  more  strongly  that  mine  could  not  be  the  one  al- 
luded to  in  the  Scriptures.  For,  if  it  were,  it  could  not  be 
ignorant  of  its  own  prerogatives,  nor  refuse  to  exercise  them 
upon  suitable  occasions. 

*'But  I  was  not  yet  fully  persuaded  of  my  errors,  until  I 
had  taken  another  view  of  the  same  case,  and  studied  my 
Church  in  its  daily  practice.  Here  I  found  the  w^orst  discrep- 
ancy of  all — the  Scriptures  admitted  to  be  the  rule  of  faith, 
and  yet  their  plainest  teaching  disregarded. 

*'  *I  found  no  imposition  of  hands  to  correspond  with  what 
I  read  in  Acts  viii,  17. 

*'  *The  communion  was  held  to  be  nothing  more  than  a  fig- 
ure of  the  body  and  blood  of  Christ  ;  though  He  declared 
it  to  be  His  real  body  and  blood.  Matt,  xvi,  26-28  :  Affirm- 
ing, John  vi,  54,  unless  one  eat  His  flesh  and  drink  His  blood 
he  cannot  have  life  in  him. 

*'  *I  discovered  no  one  in  my  Church  who  claimed  to  have 
that  power  of  remitting  sin,  given  by  Christ  to  the  Apostles 
and  their  successors.     John  xx,  23. 

"  *The  injunction  of  James  the  Apostle,  to  call  in  the  priests 
or  elders  of  the  Church  and  annoint  the  sick  with  oil,  is  un- 
heeded.    James  v,  14. 

**  *The  unity  and  indissolubility  of  marriage  so  clearly 
taught  in  i  Cor.  vii,  and  by  the  Saviour  himself,  Matt,  xix, 
is  openly  denied ;  and  the  validity  of  divorces  granted  by 
civil  courts  conceded. 

*' ''These  are  only  a  few  of  the  inconsistencies  that  I  took 


ALETIIAUltlOX.  551) 

mote  of  in  my  search  for  a  more  perfect  way.  But  the  irrcat- 
est  absurdity  of  all,  is  your  presence  here  to  try  me  for  the 
crime  of  heresy.  For,  according  to  a  fundamental  piinciple 
of  your  Church,  the  Scriptures,  privately  interpreted  is  the 
true  rule  of  faith.  I  have  read  them,  and  my  honest  convic- 
tion is  that  they  teach  the  doctrine  of  seven  sacraments.  I 
4isk  you  therefore,  which  is  guilty  of  heresy? 

***I,  who  read  the  Scriptures,  and  interi)ret  them  accord- 
ing to  what  you  admit  to  be  a  true  principle  ;  or  you,  wlio 
deny  that  it  is  every  man's  right  and  privilege  to  read  the 
Bible  and  make  his  personal  understanding  of  it  a  rule  of  con- 
duct? I  admit  you  have  the  right  to  exclude  me  from  this 
house,  which  belongs  to  you  as  a  chartered  society. 

***But  that  power  you  have  from  the  State  Legislature. 
There  is  no  right  inherent  to  your  body  to  exclude  any  (>ne. 
And  every  time  you  do  so  you  destroy  the  very  foundation 
on  which  your  Church  rests  ;  practically  taking  to  yourselves 
the  office  of  teachers  and  judges  of  the  law,  and  assuming 
an  infallibility  which,  in  theory,  you  deny  is  possessed  by 
you  or  by  any  other  body  of  men  in  existence. 

***But,  as  by  the  civil  law,  j^ou  have  the  power  to  exclude 
me  from  this  house,  I  will  save  you  all  further  trouble  by  a 
voluntary  withdrawal.  I  will  enter  a  Church  whose  practice 
•does  not  contradict  its  teachings  ;  and  if  such  a  course  be  det- 
rimental, from  a  temporal  point  of  view,  I  have  consolation 
in  knowing  that  it  doth  not  profit  a  man  if  he  gain  the  whole 
world  and  lose  his  own  soul. 

**  *If  by  such  a  course  I  am  to  forfeit  the  friendship  of  men, 
the  friendship  of  God  and  the  testimony  of  a  good  conscience 
will  more  than  suffice  for  the  loss.  And  as  to  my  children, 
I  leave  them  for  a  legacy  the  knowledge  of  the  fact  that, 
having  seen  the  light,  their  father  had  the  courage  to  follow 
the  dictates  of  his  conscience  and  approach  it.  If  this  be 
Catholic  doctrine,  you  may  write  me  down  a  Catholic.'* 


560  ALETHAURION. 


CHAPTER  CXXIX. 


THE   INFALLIBILITY   OF   THE  POPE. 

We  now  approach  one  of  the  most  interesting  and  impor- 
tant questions  connected  with  the  history  of  the  Church  in 
modern  times — the  infallibility  of  the  Pope. 

To  the  Infidel  and  sectarian  the  declaration  of  this  truth, 
by  the  highest  spiritual  authority  on  earth,  has  been  a  sad 
reminder  of  their  own  waywardness  and  rebellion.  Hence^ 
they  do  not  cease  to  decry  it  as  an  absurdity. 

But,  their  opposition  is  harmless,  except  to  themselves  ; 
and  their  knowledge  and  wisdom,  weighed  in  the  scales  of 
truth,  have,  long  ago,  been  found  wanting. 

Nor  is  it  alone  to  those  outside  the  Church  that  the  formal 
presentation  of  this  dogma  has  been  a  stumbling  block  ;  even 
some  Catholics,  who  had  been  regarded  as  pillars  of  the 
Church  and  lights  of  the  sanctuary,  blinded  by  a  vain  con- 
ceit of  their  own  intelligence,  in  an  evil  hour,  struck  against 
that  stone,  and  tumbled  headlong  into  the  abyss  of  error. 

For  this  reason,  we  shall  attempt  to  put  the  matter  in  as 
clear  a  way  as  possible. 

Now,  one  of  the  means  necessary  to  gain  a  true  conception 
of  any  question  is  to  fix  the  force  and  signification  of  the 
principal  words  used  in  discussing  it. 

What,  therefore,  is  meant  when  we  say  that  a  being  is  in- 
fallible? We  mean  that  he  has  some  virtue  or  power,  by  the 
aid  of  which  he  makes  no  mistake. 

When  this  virtue  is  possessed  to  such  a  degree  that  the 
being  cannot  err  in  anything,  then  he  may  be  said  to  pos- 
sess absolute  infallibility. In  this  sense  God  alone  is  infallible. 

Hence,  not  even  the  angels  can  lay  claim  to  it ;  for  inas- 
much as  they  are  finite  beings,  there  must  1)0  truths,  be- 
yond their  comprehension,  concerning  which  they  would  be 
liable  to  err,  from  deficiency  of  knowledge. 


ALETHAURION.  581 

Absolute  infallibility  presupposes  omniscience,  primarily^ 
and,  by  implication,  all  the  other  perfections  of  the  Godhead. 

But  infallibility  is  very  often  used,  in  a  more  limited  «ense, 
to  express  exemption  from  failure  in  some  things. 

The  historian  of  Alexander  the  Great,  tells  us  that, 
whilst  the  hero  was  on  his  way  to  the  conquest  of  Asia,  there 
was  brought  to  him  one  day  a  certain  man,  who  had  acfjuircd 
such  skill  in  pitching  peas  through  an  iron  ring,  placed  sev- 
eral yards  away,  that  he  never  missed  his  mark. 

Alex^vxder,  who  was  as  munificiont  a  patron  of  the  arts 
of  peace  as  he  was  brave  in  war,  ordered  his  commissary  to 
give  the  performer  a  large  basket  of  peas,  and  ten  minutes 
time,  to  convey  it  beyond  the  lines. 

Now,  the  individual  in  question  was  certainly  infallible,. 
for  he  never  failed  to  put  the  pea  through  the  ring ;  and  we 
may  also  presume  that  he  did  not  fail  to  get  outside  the  lines 
within  the  time  specified. 

There  is  a  man  down  in  Posey  country  who  is,  likewise, 
infallible.  For,  if  you  stick  half  a  doUur  on  top  of  a  pole, 
seventy-five  yards  away,  and  tell  him  he  can  have  it  for  the 
hittinsr ;  he  will  not  fail  with  his  own  trustv  rilie,  well  loaded 
and  primed,  to  carry  off  the  prize.  He  is  an  infallible  marks- 
man. 

We  may  now  pass  on  a  step,  and  consider  a  more  august 
species  of  infallibility — that  of  the  Pope. 

What  do  we  mean  when  we  say  the  Pope  is  infallible? — 
That  he  is  a  good  marksman?  No  :  History  affords  us  no 
data  on  which  to  base  the  conclusion  that  any  one  of  the 
Popes  was  ever  a  dead  shot — except,  may  be,  when  hurling 
bulls  at  the  heads  of  despotic  monarchs,  or  aiming  anathe- 
mas at  the  anatomies  of  refractory  monks. 

Do  we  mean  by  infallibility  that  the  Pope  is  incapaHe  of 
commiting  sin?  No  :  Imi>eccability  and  infallibility  are  two 
things  entirely  different.  And,  out  of  the  tuo  hundred  and 
fifty-six  Popes  we  have  had  since  Peter,  half  a  dozen  or 


5iy2  ALETHAURIOX. 

more  have  never  been  regarded  as  prominent  candidates  for 
canonization. 

Do  we  mean,  by  infallibility,  that  the  Pope  knows  all 
things,  and  that,  when  aslved  a  question  on  any  subject,  his 
answer  will  always  be  in  conformity  with  truth?  No  :  Om- 
niscience belongs  to  God  alone. 

The  Pope  does  not  pretend  to  be  master  of  all  the  sciences  ; 
nor  has  there  ever  yet  lived  a  man  that  had  an  exhaustive 
knowledge  of  even  one. 

Let  us  go  a  step  farther.  Do  we  mean  by  infallibility  that 
the  Pope  cannot  err  in  matters  appertaining  to  faith  and 
morals? 

Here  it  will  be  necessary  to  make  a  distinction.  The  Pope 
may  be  regarded  in  two  ways — either  as  a  private  doctor, 
or  as  the  head  of  the  Church.  If  he  speaks  or  writes  as  a 
theologian  his  conclusions  have  only  a  weight  corresponding 
to  the  reasons  he  may  produce  in  support  of  them. 

But  when  he  speaks  as  head  of  the  Church,  on  a  question 
of  faith  and  morals,  •/ro??2  the  chair,  as  the  phrase  is,  we  be- 
lieve that  he  is  infallible. 

This  point  we  may  illustrate  by  an  example.  We  have,  at 
Washington,  a  Supreme  Court,  made  up  of  one  Chief  Justice 
and  eight  associates. 

Its  decisions,  on  all  matters  within  its  jurisdiction,  are 
practically  infallible  ;  ^.  e.,  there  is  no  appeal. 

Now  let  us  suppose  that  some  questions  of  great  impor- 
tan<?e  should  arise,  and  be  referred  to  the  Supreme  Court 
for  adjustment. 

The  discussion  of  the  case  at  issue  might  take  up  several 
months. 

Suppose  that,  in  the  meantime.  Chief  Justice  Waite  should 
give  his  views,  privately,  to  a  few  of  his  friends,  on  the  merits 
of  the  case :  Do  you  suppose  that  the  country  at  large 
would  attribute  great  importance  to  his  opinions  so  deliv- 
ered? Not  at  all;  for  the  private  opinion  of  Mr.  Waite, 
on  a  question  under  discussion,  would  not  amount  to  more 


ALETHAUBION.  563 

than    that    of   many    other    prominent    barristers   in   the 
country. 

The  opinion  of  Mr.  Waite  is  not  the  decision  of  Supreme 
Justice  Waite — not  by  a  good  deal. 

But  when  Mr.  AVaite  speaks y?'om  the  bench,  in  his  official 
capacity  of  Chief  Justice,  then  his  decision  is  indeed  a 
weighty  one  for  the  vanquished  party,  because  it  is  the  fiat 
of  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States. 

So  also,  we  may  say  in  regard  to  the  Pope.  When  speak- 
ing as  a  theologian,  on  questions  of  faith  or  morals;  when 
reproving  Emperors,  Kings,  and  Princes  for  their  wayward- 
ness ;  when  granting  episcopal  jurisdiction  to  some,  or  taking 
it  away  from  others,  we  do  not  claim  that  he  is  infallible. 

His  acts  in  such  matters  may  be  the  best  possible  under 
the  circumstances  ;  and  then  again  they  may  not  be. 

But  when  the  Pope,  ex  Cathedra,  gives  a  definition  of 
faith,  we  hold  that  decision  to  be  infallible. 

We  have  taken  the  office  of  the  Chief  Justice  to  illustrate 
this  case,  in  preference  to  that  of  the  President,  because, 
strictly  speaking,  the  Pope  is  infallible  only  in  his  character 
of  judge.  But  to  what  degree  he  is  influenced  by  this,  in 
his  capacity  of  chief  legislator,  or  chief  executive,  we  leave 
untouched  for  the  present. 

•  As  to  Avhether  the  Pope  himself  can  ever  fall  into  herecy^ 
is  one  of  those  idle  questions  discussed  by  theologians  who 
have  little  else  to  do. 

We  believe,  on  the  strength  of  the  words  addressed  by 
Christ  to  Peter  :  **I  have  prayed  for  thee  that  thy  faith  fail 
not.**  Luke,  xxii,  31.  That  no  Pope  will  ever  be,  at  heart, 
a  heretic. 

But,  whatever  may  be  said  of  him  as  a  man,  we  know 
that  as  Chief  Judge  in  the  Church  he  cannot  err,  and  that 
is  quite  sufficient.  For,  that  being  certain,  we  are  sure  that 
what  we  believe,  is  what  Christ  taught. 

Before  we  enter  on  the  proofs  for  the  infallibility  of  the 
Pope,  as  defined  in  the  Council  of  the  Vatican,  it  may  be 


-Db4  ALETHAURION. 

proper  to  say  a  few  words  regarding  the  state  of  the  ques- 
tion, l)efore  its  definition. 

We  know  from  the  writings  of  the  Fathers  that  from  the 
earliest  ages  all  controversies  regarding  points  of  faith  were 
referred  to  Rome  for  final  decision. 

If  proofs  be  asked  for  this,  they  can  be  furnished  in  abun- 
dance. *'Peter  has  spoken,  the  question  is  ended,"  a 
phrase  used  so  often  by  middle-age  writers,  is  but  a  short 
ivay  of  expressing  the  belief  of  all  true  Catholics  that  the 
See  of  Rome  will  ever  be  found  true  to  its  lofty  destiny. 

Nor  was  it  until  about  the  time  of  the  Council  of  Con- 
stance, A.  D.  1414,  that  distinctions  between  the  Church 
and  its  head,  the  See  and  its  occupant,  etc.,  began  to  be 
talked  about. 

This  jealous  spirit,  kept  alive  and  fostered  by  some 
l)ishops,  finally  crystallized  into  what  was  called  GalUcanism , 

This  was  m.ade  up,  principally,  of  tAvo  ingredients.  The 
first  consisted  in  denying  that  the  Pope  had  a  just  right  to 
change  the  disciplinary  laws,  framed  during  the  first  five  or 
six  centuries  of  Christianity,  and  in  force  in  the  Galilean 
Church. 

Those  French  bishops  wanted  the  Galilean  Church  to 
remain  in  statu  quo,  even  in  matters  of  discipline,  like  an 
immense  heap  of  barley  piled  up  at  one  end  of  an  elevator. 

But  the  Pope  thought  differently,  and,  in  his  judg- 
ment, a  change  of  position,  and  a  winnowing,  once  in  a 
ivhile,  was  necessary  to  prevent  the  grain  from  heating  and 
sprouting. 

The  other  ingredient  of  Gallicanism  consisted  in  denying 
the  personal  infallibility  of  the  Poi)e. 

This  denial  was  put  forward,  in  a  most  emphatic  manner, 
in  1()82,  by  not  a  few  of  the  French  clergy,  and  sustained, 
principally,  by  the  illustrious  Bossuet.  His  tract,  entitled: 
•**The  defense  of  the  declaration  of  the  French  Clergy,"  is 
•certainly  an  able  statement,  and  it  comprises  nearly  every- 
thing that  can  be  said  against  the  infallibility  of  the  Pope. 


ALKTllALUION.  .">«>.) 

But,  with  all  his  learning  and  genius,  ho  failed  to  prove 
his  point ;   for  no  arguments  hold  good  against  prophecy. 

BossiET  and  other  Gallieans  maintained  that  the  authority 
of  a  general  couneil  was  superior  to  that  of  the  Pope,  and 
that  the  bishops,  in  eouncil,  could  pass  judgment  ou  his  ex 
Caf/iedra  decisions,  and  change  them  at  pleasure. 

From  these  various  considerations  it  will  be  seen  that  the 
formal  declaration  of  the  infallibility,  by  the  Vatican  Coun- 
cil, was  not  uncalled  for. 

Gallicanism  was  slowly,  but  surely,  sapping  the  faith  of 
the  French  people,  and  the  time  had  come  for  the  com- 
mander-in-chief of  all  the  faithful  to  call  a  halt. 

We  may  now  bring  foi'ward  some  texts  of  Scripture  that 
go  to  confirm  what  was  defined  by  the  Fathers  of  the  Vati- 
can Coj.incil,  respecting  the  matter  under  consideration. 

The  first  to  which  we  shall  invite  attention,  are  the  words 

of  the  Saviour  addressed  to  Peter,  as  follows: 

*' And  the  Lord  said:  Simon,  Simon,  behold  Satan  hath  desired  to 
have  you,  that  he  inaj' sift  you  as  wheat;  but  I  have  prayed  for  thee, 
that  thy  faith  fail  not ;  and  thou  being  once  converted,  confirm  thy  breth- 
ren.''— Luke  xxii,  31-32. 

In  the  foregoing  verses  are  contained  three  important 
items : 

First :  The  Apostles  were  to  be  tempted  by  Satan  ;  and 
by  the  Apostles  we  may  here  understand  the  entire  Church. 

Second:  In  order  that  Satan  may  not  triumph,  the 
Saviour  prays  for  Peter  that  his  faith  fail  not. 

Third:  Peter,  or  Simox,  as  he  was  then  called,  is  com- 
manded to  confirm  his  brethren. 

Now,  if  Peter,  or  his  successors  in  the  primacy,  could 

fail — could  teach  false  doctrine — what  consequence  would 

follow?     That  the  Saviour's  prayer  was  not  heard  by  the 

Father,  which  would  be  absurd  to  even  think  of  Him.- 

'-"NMio  in  the  days  of  His  flesh,  offering:  up  prayers  and  suppli*.'ations, 
with  a  strong  cry  and  teai*s.  to  Him  tliat  was  able  to  save  Hiui  from  death, 
was  heard  for  his  reverence.  "—Heb.  v,  7. 


566  ALETHAURION. 

Moreover,  the  Saviour  commands  Peter  to  confirm  his 
brethren.  Suppose  for  a  moment  that  the  Pope  was  capa- 
ble of  teaching  error,  would  he  not,  in  that  case,  confirm  the 
brethren  in  falsehood  instead  of  truth,  contrary  to  the 
Saviour's  intention? 

The  obligation,  therefore,  imposed  upon  Peter,  of 
strengthening  others,  necessarily  implies  strength  in  himself 
to  begin  with. 

Another  text  of  Scripture,  which  bears  directly  on  the 
subject  of  infallibility,  is  that  celebrated  one,  in  which 
Christ,  addressing  Peter,  says: 

"And  I  say  to  thee :  Thou  art  Peter,  and  npon  this  rock  I  will  build 
my, Church;  and  the  gates  of  Hell  shall  not  prevail  against  it." — Matt. 
xvi.  18. 

Peter  is  the  rock  on  which  the  Church  of  Christ  is  built. 
He  is  the  foundation,  solid  enough  to  insure  the  building 
against  the  power  of  Sata?^  and  his  imps. 

Now,  if  the  Pope's  decisions  on  points  of  faith  could  be 
improved  by  the  rest  of  the  bishops,  either  in  council  or  out 
of  it,  it  would  no  longer  be  the  foundation  giving  strength 
to  the  building,  but  the  building  affording  firmness  to  the 
foundation. 

The  supposition  is  contrary  to  the  tenor  of  the  Saviour's 
words,  and  in  contradiction  to  the  nature  of  things. 

There  is  yet  one  more  text  of  Scripture,  in  which  the  doc- 
trine of  infallibility  is  taught,  even  more  clearly  than  in 
those  already  given. 

In  the  xxi  chapter  of  St.  John's  gospel  we  read  of  how 
the  Saviour  appeared,  after  his  resurrection,  to  Peter  and 
to  some  of  the  other  Apostles,  on  the  shore  of  the  Sea  of 
Galilee,  and  commanded  the  same  Peter  to  feed  the  lambs 
and  sheep  of  His  flock,  ^.  e'.,  the  faithful,  both  lay  and 
clerical. 

The  food  here  spoken  of  is  evidently  of  a  spiritual  nature, 
in  accordance  with  those  words  of  the  Saviour,  addressed  to 
the  tempter  in  the  desert : 


ALETHAURION.  5G7 

"Man  liveth  not  by  bread  alone,  but  by  every  word  that  proceedeth  out 
t)f  the  month  of  God.'*— Matt,  iv,  4. 

Let  us  for  a  moment  consider  the  case  of  a  Pope  teaching 
error ;  what  then  ? 

It  would  ])e  Peter  no  longer  feeding  the  flock  with  the 
manna  of  truth,  but  rather  inebriating  the  lambs  and  sheep 
with  the  poison  of  error. 

And,  furthermore,  if  the  dogmatical  definitions  of  the 
Pope  could  be  essentially  altered  by  the  other  bish()i)s,  as 
the  Galileans  atone  time  maintained,  then  it  wotild  no  longer 
be  Peter  feeding  the  flock,  but  rather  the  flock  feeding 
Peter  ;  contrary  to  the  spirit  and  meaning  of  the  Saviour's 
command. 

It  was,  precisely,  on  the  occasion  spoken  of  in  the  text,  and 
just  after  Christ  had  said  the  words:  **feed  my  lambs, 
feed  my  sheep,"  that  Peter  became  the  first  Pope. 

Hence,  the  objection,  sometimes  put  forward,  that  Peter 
denied  Christ  in  the  house  of  Pilate,  has  no  ground  to 
stand  on  ;  for  he  had  not  as  yet  been  made  Pope. 

And,  even  though  we  should  grant  that  Peter  was  Pope 
at  the  time,  we  can  hardly  suppose  that  he  meant  to  give  an 
ex  Cathedra  decision  to  that  virago  that  threatened  to  tell 
on  him. 

Imagine  Chief  Justice  Waite  arguing  with  a  plumber,  in 
regard  to  an  exorbitant  bill :  Will  any  one,  for  a  moment, 
take  what  the  Judge  would  be  liable  to  say,  on  such  an  occa- 
sion, as  his  decision,  from  the  bench  of  the  Supreme  Court? 

Another  objection  to  the  infallibility  of  the  Pope,  fre- 
quently brought  forward  by  sectarian  ministers,  is  founded 
on  what  St.  Paul  says  of  Cephas  or  Peter,  in  his  epistle 
to  the  Galatians,  chapter  ii. 

"But  when  Cephas  was  come  to  Antioch,''  says  he,  *'I  withstood 
him  to  the  face,  because  he  was  blameable." 

This  objection  is  yet  more  easy  of  solution  than  that  noticed 
already. 


568  ALETHAURION. 

That  in  which  Peter  was  blameable  was  either  a  questioa 
of  faith,  or  it  was  not.  If  not  a  matter  appertaining  to 
faith,  it  has'  nothing  to  do  with  either  Peter's  or  the  Pope's 
infallibility. 

If  Peter  was  blameable  to  the  extent  of  teaching  false 
doctrine,  then  the  text  proves  too  much  for  those  ministers 
who  use  it. 

It  proves  that  Peter  was  not  an  inspired  Apostle. 

Indeed,  it  will  appear  evident,  to  any  one  who  takes  the 
trouble  to  read  the  entire  chapter,  that  the  question  at  issue 
between  those  two  great  Apostles  was  not  one  of  faith  at  all. 
Paul  blames  Cephas  for  his  temporizing  policy  and  dissimu- 
lation toward  the  converted  Jew. 

It  was  a  mere  matter  of  policy.  Cephas  thought  his  own 
way  the  best,  under  the  circumstances,  and  Paul  thought  it 
wasn't. 

The  infallibility  is  also  objected  to  on  the  ground  that  it 
places  too  much  power  in  the  hands  of  one  man. 

To  which  we  may  reply  by  asking  a  question  :  Does  it 
throw  too  much  power  into  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  United 
States,  to  make  its  decision  final? 

There  must,  in  every  organic  community,  be  a  ne  plus 
ultra,  beyond  which  controversies  cannot  go. 

The  founders  of  this  government  gave  the  right  to  decide 
controversies,  arising  within  its  jurisdiction,  to  one  chief 
and  eight  associate  justices  ;  the  founder  of  the  Catholic 
Christian  Church  gave  the  same  right  to  the  Apostle  Peter 
and  to  his  successors. 

The  other  objections  against  the  doctrine  of  papal  infalli- 
bility are  mainly  historical.  It  has  been  asserted  of  some 
few  Popes  that  they  fell  into  heresy,  or  endorsed  false  doc- 
trines— asserted  ;  yes  :     But  never  proved. 


ALETHAURION.  569 

CONCLUSION. 

During  the  progress  of  this  work,  we  have  occasionally 
made  use  of  some  tart  expressions  when  speaking  of  Protest- 
antism or  of  heresy  in  general ;  but  we  have  nothing  to 
retract. 

Ere  we  conclude,  however,  we  have  a  few  kind  words  to 
say  of  American  Protestants  :  for  they  are  not  as  bad  as  the 
religion  they  profess. 

To  their  credit,  it  must  be  told,  that  there  are  but  few 
Catholic  Churches  or  charitable  institutions  in  our  country, 
to  which  our  Protestant  fellow  citizens  have  not  liberally 
contributed. 

And,  may  we  not  hope,  that  it  was  of  such  generous  souls 
the  Saviour  spoke  when  he  said  : 

"  And,  other  sheep  I  have,  that  are  not  of  this  fold :  them  also  I  must 
bring;  and  they  shall  hear  my  voice;  and  there  shall  be  one  fold  and  one 
Shepherd?''    John  x.  16. 

THE   END. 

LatLs  Deo,  et  Beat<£  Marioe  Virgini. 


GETHSEMAN!  ABBEY, 
GETHSEMANl,  P,  0.  KY. 


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